persecute vs prosecute
Definitions
verb
- cause to suffer
Examples
What a paltering - what a childish paltering - unworthy of a schoolboy - is his solemn denial that the Pilgrims sailed for New England because they were persecuted.
There has been terrorism in the world, more or less nonstop, since twelfth-century Syria, when a persecuted Persian religious sect called the Assassins knifed people to death in crowds.
The Puritans left England to escape being persecuted.
Definitions
verb
- carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
- conduct a prosecution in a court of law
- bring a criminal action against (in a trial)
Examples
Nearly 40 parents were prosecuted for their child's non-attendance.
He may be prosecuted for revealing secrets about the security agency.
Universal jurisdiction entitles a state to prosecute an offence even in the absence of any connection based on nationality, territory, or the protective principle.
