codefendant
noun
co·de·fen·dant
ˌkō-di-ˈfen-dənt 
in legal circles often -ˌdant
variants
or co-defendant
plural codefendants or co-defendants
: 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)
State v. Saenz, 370 P.3d 1278 (2016)Examples of codefendant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Baldoni and his codefendants – producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios and its cofounder Steve Sarowitz, crisis PR specialist Melissa Nathan and publicist Jennifer Abel – are seeking to avert a trial by requesting summary judgment.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
The other codefendant, Demetrius Shumpert, was found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder in November.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025
The evidence against Billups and his codefendants – including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player and coach Damon Jones – comes from electronic devices, surveillance photographs, pole camera footage, bank records and phone records, prosecutors said.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 23 Nov. 2025
William and Colleen Barstow, company co-founders, who personally guaranteed the lease payments, are listed as codefendants.
—Steven Martinez, jsonline.com, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for codefendant
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Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
The other codefendant, Demetrius Shumpert, was found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder in November.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025
The evidence against Billups and his codefendants – including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player and coach Damon Jones – comes from electronic devices, surveillance photographs, pole camera footage, bank records and phone records, prosecutors said.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 23 Nov. 2025
William and Colleen Barstow, company co-founders, who personally guaranteed the lease payments, are listed as codefendants.
—Steven Martinez, jsonline.com, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for codefendant
Cite this Entry
“Codefendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/codefendant. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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