de·fen·dant
di-ˈfen-dənt 
in legal circles often
-ˌdant
law
: a person or group against whom a criminal or civil action is brought : someone who is being sued or accused of committing a crime
if the jury finds the defendant not guilty
compare plaintiff
Examples of defendant in a Sentence
Noun
The jury believed that the defendant was guilty.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Copeland and Ucman, who were 21 and 22 years old at the time of the baby’s death, were tried this year in one trial by two separate San Diego Superior Court juries, each tasked solely with deciding one defendant’s fate.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Co-defendant Sophia Shaklian, 38, of the Larchmont neighborhood of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to a single count of healthcare fraud and is set for sentencing on March 24.
—City News Service, Daily News, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Seven other defendants have already pleaded guilty in the case, including the Carpoffs.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Copeland and Ucman, who were 21 and 22 years old at the time of the baby’s death, were tried this year in one trial by two separate San Diego Superior Court juries, each tasked solely with deciding one defendant’s fate.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The couple’s daughter, Sibyl, then 5 months old, was one of several infants that Johnson and her co-defendant Elizabeth Augusta Wiemerslage were alleged to have abused from late 2023 into July 2024.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Co-defendant Sophia Shaklian, 38, of the Larchmont neighborhood of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to a single count of healthcare fraud and is set for sentencing on March 24.
—City News Service, Daily News, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defendant. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
defendant
noun
de·fen·dant
di-ˈfen-dənt, -ˌdant
: the party against whom a criminal or civil action is brought see also answer, codefendant compare accused, plaintiff
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
