Skip to content

Freispruch

acquittal

noun FREYE-shprookh Rare

Usage Note

Freispruch is an acquittal, literally a speaking-free, from freisprechen. The opposing outcome is a Verurteilung (conviction). A common phrase is Freispruch aus Mangel an Beweisen (acquittal for lack of evidence), though German law avoids the Scottish not-proven nuance.

Examples

"Das Urteil endete mit einem Freispruch."

Natural Translation

The verdict ended in an acquittal.

Literal Translation

The verdict ended with an acquittal.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore German by topic