codefendant

noun

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co·de·fen·dant | \ ˌkō-di-ˈfen-dənt

, in legal circles often -ˌdant \

variants: or co-defendant

plural codefendants or co-defendants

Definition of codefendant

: 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

Examples of codefendant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Tuck, 51, has been charged with six federal crimes in an indictment that lists him as a codefendant of other men tied to Central Florida law enforcement as well as the Proud Boys, a far-right nationalist group. — Grace Toohey, orlandosentinel.com, 27 Aug. 2021 Ferguson, the mayor's codefendant, got 21 years for his crimes, which his lawyers long argued was too stiff. — Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 10 Aug. 2021 Though Hernandez is not a cop, his codefendant, D’Angelo McWilliams, is a Washtenaw County Sheriff’s deputy. — Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press, 31 July 2021 Madrid and his codefendant, Kevin Mejia, have pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder. — Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2021 His closest family members all left Michigan following his downfall, including his father and codefendant Bernard Kilpatrick, his mother, the former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, his three sons and his now ex-wife Carlita Kilpatrick. — Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 29 Apr. 2021 Some activists have claimed Tisdol and codefendant Noah Young — passengers in Dowdell’s car when he was shot — were charged unfairly. — courant.com, 2 Mar. 2021 Nixon's girlfriend was with him that entire night but could not testify in his trial as a codefendant. — Miriam Marini, Detroit Free Press, 18 Feb. 2021 Klaeren previously lowered bond to $75,000 for codefendant Paul Bellar, 22, of Milford and $100,000 for Morrison’s father-in-law, Pete Musico, 43, of Munith, however. — Darcie Moran, Detroit Free Press, 18 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'codefendant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.