committal hearing

noun

variants or committal proceeding
British, law
: a hearing in a magistrates' court at which evidence of a crime is presented to determine whether there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed the crime with which he or she is charged and if there is evidence of possible guilt to determine to the court to which the defendant is to be committed (see commit entry 1 sense 1f)
Lawyers for the accused executives are seeking to have the charges dismissed, and have argued The Age's December 8 story showed the prosecution or Australian Federal Police were holding back information vital to the committal hearing.Paul Anderson, The Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), 25 Jan. 2013

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of committal hearing was in 1898

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

Dictionary Entries Near committal hearing

Cite this Entry

“Committal hearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/committal%20hearing. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!