A verdict is the decision that a jury or judge makes at the end of a trial about whether someone is guilty or not guilty. After hearing all the evidence and testimony, the jury deliberates together in private, discussing what they've learned. Then they return to the courtroom and announce their verdict: guilty or not guilty.

In criminal trials, a guilty verdict means the person will face punishment, while a not guilty verdict means they go free. In civil trials, verdicts decide whether someone must pay money or change their behavior.

You might hear people use verdict more casually to mean any final judgment or decision. A food critic might deliver her verdict on a new restaurant, or your friends might give their verdict on whether a movie was worth seeing. But the word still carries that sense of finality and authority: a decision that settles the question and can't easily be changed. Unlike an opinion that might shift tomorrow, a verdict represents a conclusion that people reached carefully and seriously.