jury
/ˈdʒʊəri/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdʒʊri/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈju̇r-ē ˈjər-/ (ame, mw)
jury — noun
- jurysingular
- juriesplural
1. twelve citizens who swear an oath to examine the evidence presented at a court h
twelve citizens who swear an oath to examine the evidence presented at a court hearing, then reach a verdict about the accused person's guilt or the soundness of a legal argument
The jury found the defendant guilty after examining all the evidence for two weeks.
passive: found guilty by jury
Jiwoo served on a jury for six weeks, hearing testimony about a property dispute between two neighbours.
collocation: serve on a jury
The judge instructed the jury to ignore anything they had read in the news.
After three days of discussion, the jury announced that the accused was not guilty.
文法句型
the jury + verb (singular or plural)
serve on a jury
the jury finds/decides/rules that…
用法筆記
In British English a jury can take a singular or plural verb (the jury has / the jury have). In American English a singular verb is standard. The jury decides guilt; the judge determines the sentence.
常見錯誤
2. a panel of people appointed to evaluate contestants or entries and decide who wi
a panel of people appointed to evaluate contestants or entries and decide who wins a competition, contest, or prize
The jury awarded first prize to a young dancer from Seoul for her original choreography.
jury + award/give prize
Kemi sat on the jury for a national short-story competition, reading over two hundred entries.
collocation: sit on a jury
The competition jury watched twenty performances, scored each one, and eliminated the lowest-ranked acts.
The jury debated for hours before finally agreeing on the winner of the baking competition.
- panel of judges
more transparent and common in entertainment contexts like talent shows
- adjudicators
formal; emphasizes the evaluative role
文法句型
jury + verb (selects/awards/gives)
sit on a jury
用法筆記
Use 'panel' or 'judges' in less formal contexts. 'Jury' for competitions carries a slightly formal tone, similar to the legal sense.
3. any person or group of people whose opinion determines whether something is good
any person or group of people whose opinion determines whether something is good, successful, or acceptable — for example, the public deciding if a film is a success, or customers deciding if a product is worth buying
The jury is still out on whether the new vaccine provides long-term protection.
idiom: the jury is (still) out on
The public acts as the ultimate jury for any new restaurant in this neighbourhood.
figurative: public as jury
Social media users acted as the jury of the company's new policy and condemned it within hours.
The festival audience served as the jury and decided the documentary deserved the top award.
- arbiter
formal; a person or body with authority to settle a dispute
- deciding factor
emphasizes the criterion rather than the group doing the judging
文法句型
the jury is (still) out on something
用法筆記
This sense is almost always figurative. The idiom 'the jury is (still) out on something' means that a decision has not yet been reached and people still disagree about something.
jury — verb
- jurypresent simple I / you / we / they
- juries3rd person singular
- jurying-ing form
- juriedpast simple
1. to review and choose works of art, photographs, or other creative material for i
to review and choose works of art, photographs, or other creative material for inclusion in an exhibition or competition
Élise juried the annual photography show at the city gallery last autumn.
jury + exhibition/show
A panel of three professional artists was asked to jury the student art competition.
passive: asked to jury
The committee juried over five hundred submissions and accepted only thirty-five for the final show.
Lucía spent the weekend jurying over three hundred design entries and then selected ten finalists.
文法句型
jury + noun phrase (submissions/entries)
be juried into/accepted
用法筆記
This verb is specialized and used primarily within the art and design world. It is less common than the noun forms. The passive construction 'be juried into' (e.g., 'her painting was juried into the exhibition') is frequent.
常見錯誤
jury — adjective
- jurypositive
- juriercomparative
- juriestsuperlative
1. created or assembled quickly from whatever materials are available, especially a
created or assembled quickly from whatever materials are available, especially as a temporary solution in an emergency
The campers built a jury-rigged shelter from fallen branches and a plastic sheet.
common form: jury-rigged + shelter
The sailors used a blanket as a jury-rigged mast to reach the harbour.
Haruto set up a jury-rigged antenna using copper wire and managed to get a signal.
A jury-rigged bridge of wooden boards helped the hikers cross the flooded stream.
- makeshift
more common and general; can be used in any context, not only emergencies
- improvised
emphasizes creativity with available resources
- temporary
focuses on limited duration rather than the method of assembly
- permanent
built to last; the opposite of temporary
- professional
made by experts with proper materials and planning
文法句型
jury-rigged + noun phrase
用法筆記
Nearly always appears as 'jury-rigged' (the compound adjective) rather than bare 'jury.' Do not confuse with 'jerry-built' (cheaply or badly built). 'Jury-rigged' emphasizes improvisation, not poor quality.
常見錯誤
❌ 'jury-rigged' spelled 'jerry-rigged' — The correct spelling is 'jury-rigged,' from the nautical term 'jury mast' (a temporary mast).