codefendant

noun

co·​de·​fen·​dant ˌkō-di-ˈfen-dənt How to pronounce codefendant (audio)
in legal circles often -ˌdant
variants or co-defendant
plural codefendants or co-defendants
Synonyms of codefendantnext
: a defendant in the same lawsuit or criminal prosecution as another defendant or group of defendants : a joint defendant
… the defendant argued that it was plain error for the trial court to have permitted the prosecution to treat his co-defendant as hostile …State v. Saenz, 370 P.3d 1278 (2016)

Examples of codefendant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Charges say Tamang and his codefendant, 21-year-old Dipak Phayal, forced a student into her St. Cloud State University dorm room on Nov. 1, 2024. Wcco Staff, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026 Among the 50 codefendants who appeared in court, common denominators were in short supply. Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026 In addition, several Durk tracks featuring codefendant Deandre Dontrell Wilson, who raps under the name Deeski, were submitted as evidence by the prosecution. Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 3 Feb. 2026 The other codefendant, 20-year-old Artis Womack, has a motions hearing scheduled in his case in April. Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for codefendant

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of codefendant was in 1641

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Cite this Entry

“Codefendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/codefendant. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.

Legal Definition

codefendant

noun
co·​de·​fen·​dant
ˌkō-di-ˈfen-dənt, -ˌdant
: a joint defendant

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