noun
- preliminary hearings or proceedings that occur before a main trial
Usage: legal
Examples
- The judge scheduled several pretrials to handle motions before the main case.
- During pretrials, the attorneys argued about which evidence could be presented.
- The defendant attended all required pretrials with his lawyer.
- Pretrials help streamline the actual trial by resolving procedural issues.
- The court calendar was packed with pretrials for upcoming cases.
- Many cases are settled during pretrials without going to full trial.