Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
nol pros

nol pros

9.9
A court record showing the prosecutor will not continue the case
  • noun
  • /noʊl prɒs/
  • Formal
translation icon : nolle prosequi
  • Due to lack of witnesses, the judge accepted the nol pros filed by the district attorney.

Examples

  • The defense was relieved when the nol pros was officially recorded in court.

  • The prosecution entered a nol pros after reviewing new evidence in the case.

  • The attorney filed a nol pros in the case.

  • The judge accepted the nol pros motion without hesitation.

  • Due to lack of evidence, the prosecutor decided to file a nol pros for the case.

  • After extensive discussions, the attorney announced the nol pros would be submitted to the court.

  • The judge acknowledged the nol pros and closed the case promptly.

Synonyms

nolle
vsnol pros
  • Formal
1 9.9

A formal notice from a prosecutor saying they will not pursue a criminal charge

is a court record entry noting the plaintiff or prosecutor will not pursue the case
nolle prosequi
vsnol pros
  • Formal
9.9

An official notice that stops charges in a court case

is entered in the court record as a notation rather than an order
nonprosecution
vsnol pros
  • Specialized
8.4

A decision not to charge someone with a crime or to continue a court case against them

is a court record entry rather than the general decision or act

Surface Forms

nol pros singular
nol pros plural

Morphology

nol + pros

The term is an English abbreviation of the Latin legal phrase 'nolle prosequi' and its constituents ('nol', 'pros') are not ordinary English words with independent meanings a learner could compose; the meaning ('will not pursue the case') is a technical legal convention rather than a predictable combination of parts. Because it is a specialized, language-specific legalism/abbreviation that requires prior exposure or explicit explanation, a B1 learner would not be able to derive the meaning from the constituents.

Etymology

Nol pros comes from the Latin phrase nolle prosequi, which literally means 'does not want to continue'. It was written in the court record when the prosecutor decided not to carry on with a case, so today nol pros means an official note that the case will not go forward.