Fifth Amendment

[ fifth uh-mend-muhnt, fith ]

noun

1. an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, providing chiefly that people cannot be required to testify against themselves in a criminal case and that no person be subjected to a second trial for an offense for which they have been duly tried previously.

Fifth Amendment

noun

1. an amendment to the US Constitution stating that no person may be compelled to testify against himself and that no person may be tried for a second time on a charge for which he has already been acquitted
2. take the fifth or take the fifth amendment
   to refuse to answer a question on the grounds that it might incriminate oneself

Fifth Amendment

1. One of the ten amendments to the United States Constitution that make up the Bill of Rights . The Fifth Amendment imposes restrictions on the government's prosecution of persons accused of crimes. It prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy and mandates due process of law .

Notes

To “take the Fifth” is to refuse to testify because the testimony could lead to self-incrimination.