retry

British  

/ riːˈtraɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to try again (a case already determined); give a new trial to

---

Explanation

In law, to hold another trial for a case is to retry it. It's not legal in the U.S. to retry a defendant for a crime after she's been found innocent. A judge might decide to retry a case if the jury can't come to a unanimous decision, or if a jury member is found to be biased. And when the defendant in a case is found guilty, they can appeal the decision in the hopes that the court will retry it, sometimes using a new attorney or new evidence. You probably won't use this verb to literally mean "try again" — you're more likely to say reattempt.

Example Sentences

Prosecutors chose to retry the Mann count, leading to the third trial.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

So that’s still “good” evidence if they retry her.

From Slate • Aug. 22, 2025

After the Supreme Court’s February ruling, even Drummond himself said it “would be difficult” to retry Glossip after so many years.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2025

Todd Spitzer has said he would retry the case.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2025

The judge jumped in with, "Well, it does sound like you're trying to retry the case, Mr. Stevenson, so I'm going to allow the State to keep the crime investigators in the courtroom."

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson