D.A. is the short form of district attorney. In the United States, a district attorney is a lawyer who works for the government. Their job is to take a case to court when the police say someone broke the law, in one local area (a district). You will hear D.A. a lot in American crime films and TV: the D.A.’s office, talk to the D.A. Newspapers use it too. It is an American job title; Britain uses other names, such as a prosecutor in the Crown system. In formal writing, people often spell out district attorney; D.A. is the short spoken and headline form. Other things can share the letters D.A., but this entry is the lawyer.