burden of proof

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In criminal law, "the burden of proof is higher," noted Brandon Garrett, a law professor at Duke University -- with prosecutors required to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

From Barron's • May 11, 2026

But setting aside the burden of proof required in a courtroom, this outcome was hard for many in the court of public opinion to accept.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Defamation cases are typically dealt with in the civil court system which requires a lower burden of proof.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

“There is no game of chance here; the system is designed to flag these data gaps and shift the burden of proof onto the taxpayer,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 14, 2026

Hence, it is the presumption of common sense and science that these ESP phenomena don’t exist, and the burden of proof is on those who maintain that there are such phenomena.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos