double jeopardy


noun Law.

the subjecting of a person to a second trial or punishment for the same offense for which the person has already been tried or punished.

Origin of double jeopardy

First recorded in 1905–10

Example sentences from the Web for double jeopardy

British Dictionary definitions for double jeopardy

double jeopardy

noun

the act of prosecuting a defendant a second time for an offence for which he has already been tried

Cultural definitions for double jeopardy

double jeopardy

Trying a person twice in the same jurisdiction for the same crime, a practice prohibited by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. (See due process of law.)