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Fifth Amendment
[ fifth uh-mend-muhnt, fith ]
noun
- an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, providing chiefly that people cannot be required to testify against themselves in a criminal case and that no person be subjected to a second trial for an offense for which they have been duly tried previously.
Fifth Amendment
noun
- an amendment to the US Constitution stating that no person may be compelled to testify against himself and that no person may be tried for a second time on a charge for which he has already been acquitted
- take the fifthtake the fifthtake the fifth amendment to refuse to answer a question on the grounds that it might incriminate oneself
Fifth Amendment
- One of the ten amendments to the United States Constitution that make up the Bill of Rights . The Fifth Amendment imposes restrictions on the government's prosecution of persons accused of crimes. It prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy and mandates due process of law .
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Notes
To “take the Fifth” is to refuse to testify because the testimony could lead to self-incrimination.
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