acquittal
noun
ac·quit·tal
ə-ˈkwi-tᵊl 
: a setting free from the charge of an offense by verdict, sentence, or other legal process
Examples of acquittal in a Sentence
The case resulted in acquittal of the defendant.
Several jurors voted for acquittal.
The case resulted in an acquittal of the defendant.
Recent Examples on the Web
Separate prosecutions of Woodward in 1995 and 1996 resulted in hung juries favoring acquittal by margins of 8-4 and 7-5, respectively.
—
Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024
The Senate’s acquittal of Trump at an impeachment trial charging him with inciting the insurrection at the Capitol prevented him from being tried again for the same events, Sauer argued.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024
The acquittal comes as a big relief to Lee, who has been embroiled in legal problems for years.
—Yoonjung Seo, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024
Though McDuffie would die four days later, justice was never truly served as the acquittal of the four officers involved would spark the McDuffie Riots.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2024
The judges also gestured to the political nature of Mr. Trump’s acquittal, including noting that 30 senators had justified their votes to acquit him on the grounds that his term in office had run out before the trial.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
The Senate’s acquittal of Trump at an impeachment trial charging him with citing the insurrection at the Capitol prevented him from being tried again for the same events, Sauer argued.
—USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
Trump is invoking double jeopardy to argue that his acquittal by the Senate in his second impeachment trial, on a single count of inciting insurrection, means that no court can ever put him on trial again on charges even related to the same underlying set of facts.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
His defense asked for his acquittal, or if found guilty a one-year sentence plus 50,000 euros compensation for the victim.
—Joseph Wilson, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024
The Senate’s acquittal of Trump at an impeachment trial charging him with inciting the insurrection at the Capitol prevented him from being tried again for the same events, Sauer argued.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024
The acquittal comes as a big relief to Lee, who has been embroiled in legal problems for years.
—Yoonjung Seo, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024
Though McDuffie would die four days later, justice was never truly served as the acquittal of the four officers involved would spark the McDuffie Riots.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2024
The judges also gestured to the political nature of Mr. Trump’s acquittal, including noting that 30 senators had justified their votes to acquit him on the grounds that his term in office had run out before the trial.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
The Senate’s acquittal of Trump at an impeachment trial charging him with citing the insurrection at the Capitol prevented him from being tried again for the same events, Sauer argued.
—USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
Trump is invoking double jeopardy to argue that his acquittal by the Senate in his second impeachment trial, on a single count of inciting insurrection, means that no court can ever put him on trial again on charges even related to the same underlying set of facts.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
His defense asked for his acquittal, or if found guilty a one-year sentence plus 50,000 euros compensation for the victim.
—Joseph Wilson, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'acquittal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near acquittal
Cite this Entry
“Acquittal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acquittal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
acquittal
noun
ac·quit·tal
ə-ˈkwit-ᵊl
: the freeing (as by verdict) of a person from the charge of a crime
Legal Definition
acquittal
noun
ac·quit·tal
ə-ˈkwit-ᵊl
1
: release or discharge from debt or other liability
2
: a setting free or deliverance from the charge of an offense by verdict of a jury, judgment of a court, or other legal process see also implied acquittal, judgment of acquittal at judgment sense 1a compare conviction
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