Meaning & use
closing statement
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Meanings
nouncountable
A final speech in a trial or debate in which each side summarizes its case before a decision is made.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a closing statement or closing statements; it is often used in the plural in trials.
Patterns
- give a closing statement
- make a closing statement
- in your closing statement
The lawyer gave a powerful closing statement that lasted almost an hour.
In her closing statement, the prosecutor reminded the jury of the key evidence.
Both sides will present their closing statements tomorrow morning.
nouncountable
A final public comment made by a person or group at the end of a meeting, report, or event.
Grammar: Countable and often used with a possessive: the company's closing statement.
Patterns
- issue a closing statement
- release a closing statement
- in a closing statement
The company released a closing statement thanking its customers for their support.
The chair's closing statement summarized the main decisions of the conference.
Word forms
| plural | closing statements |
|---|
Common combinations
- give a closing statement
- Each attorney will give a closing statement before the judge instructs the jury.
- final closing statement
- His final closing statement moved many people in the courtroom.
- opening statement
- The opening statement comes first, and the closing statement comes last.
- in a closing statement
- She denied the accusations in a closing statement to reporters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- summation
- A formal legal term for the same final speech; it sounds more technical and is used mainly in American court contexts.
- final remarks
- More general and less formal; it can describe any last comments, not just a speech in a trial.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: closing statement or closing argument?
closing statement vs closing argument
In law this is a close synonym, but argument can also mean a disagreement, so statement is clearer when you mean a formal summary.
Practice
In a trial, what usually happens right before the jury decides the verdict?
Choose one answer.
Closing statements are the final speeches by each side's lawyer, so option B fits. Option An is wrong because the judge does not argue for one side, and option D reverses the roles: the jury decides, it does not make a closing statement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “closing statement”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.