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.

This led Justice Brett Kavanaugh to ask about mens rea, the required mental state that the government must prove in order to show that an individual committed a crime.

From Slate • Mar. 3, 2026

New findings may challenge traditional legal concepts such as mens rea, the "guilty mind" required to establish intent.

From Science Daily • Feb. 1, 2026

The latter, known as mens rea, is usually missing when dementia patients violate the law.

From Scientific American • Aug. 17, 2023

“And yet this was a 9-0 ruling saying that the mens rea ― or the mental state of the doctor ― it matters.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2022

"We receive a shock of surprise when we meet with a maxim which has troubled our modern lawyers, namely, Reum nonfacit nisi mens rea, in the middle of the Leges Henrici."

From The Emancipation of Massachusetts by Adams, Brooks