Meanings
nounvoir dire (countable and uncountable, plural voir dires)
plural voir dires
- UScountableuncountablelawThe preliminary phase of a jury trial in which the jurors are examined and selected.
- AustraliaEnglandNew ZealandUSWalescountableuncountablelawA preliminary hearing without a jury in order to determine whether the evidence meets the test for admissibility to go to a full hearing at a criminal trial, in the legal systems of England and Wales, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.
- countableuncountablelawA hearing in the context of a larger trial to determine some specific issue relevant to that trial, such as the admissibility of a piece of evidence or the competency of a witness to testify.
Origin
- Latinvērum
- Old Frenchvoir“true, truth”
- Englishvoir dire
Anglo-Norman for “to say the truth”, from Old French voir (“true, truth”) + dire (“to say”), from Latin vērum + dīcere.
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 預先審查 /预先审查, 案中案
- 預先審查 /预先审查 (yùxiān shěnchá)juror selection process
- 案中案 (àn zhōng àn)hearing within a trial
Finnish valamieskuulustelu
- valamieskuulustelujuror selection process
French sélection du jury, voir dire
- sélection du juryjuror selection process
- voir direhearing within a trial
Korean 예비신문
- 예비신문 (yebisinmun)juror selection process
Cite this entry
APA
voir dire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voir%20dire
MLA
“voir dire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voir%20dire. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “voir dire,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voir%20dire.
Source: voir dire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.