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Meaning & use

expert testimony

noun·Advancedlegal

Last updated

UK/ˌekspɜːt ˈtestɪməni/
US/ˌekspɜːrt ˈtestəmoʊni/

Meaning

  1. noununcountablelegal

    Spoken or written evidence in a legal case given by a person with special knowledge, to help the court understand technical issues.

    Grammar: Uncountable: the court heard expert testimony, not an expert testimony.

    Patterns

    • expert testimony on something
    • give expert testimony
    • expert testimony about something

    The jury listened to expert testimony on how the fire had started.

    Her expert testimony convinced the judge that the signature was forged.

    The defense called a chemist to give expert testimony about the evidence.

Common combinations

give expert testimony
He was asked to give expert testimony at the trial.
call for expert testimony
The case calls for expert testimony from an engineer.
rely on expert testimony
Prosecutors relied on expert testimony to prove the cause.
challenge expert testimony
The lawyer tried to challenge the expert testimony on cross-examination.
conflicting expert testimony
The jury heard conflicting expert testimony from two doctors.

Synonyms and how they differ

expert evidence
Expert evidence is common in British legal English, while expert testimony stresses what the specialist says under oath.
expert opinion
Expert opinion is wider and need not be given in court, whereas expert testimony is formal evidence.
professional testimony
Professional testimony is less standard and suggests only that the person works in the field.

Opposites

lay testimony

Word family

expert noun
a person with special knowledge or skill
testimony noun
a formal statement given as evidence
testify verb
to give evidence in court
expertise noun
special skill or knowledge

Commonly confused: expert testimony or eyewitness testimony?

expert testimony vs eyewitness testimony

Eyewitness testimony describes what a person saw; expert testimony gives informed opinion based on specialist knowledge.

Practice

A forensic scientist was called to explain the DNA results, and her ___ was central to the verdict.

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