public defender
noun
: a lawyer usually holding public office whose duty is to defend accused persons unable to pay for legal assistance
Examples of public defender in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Elizabeth López López spent her entire legal career as a public defender with 15 years of experience at the state level and four years at the federal level.
—
Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
Townsend’s public defender, Elizabeth Landgraf, had argued in court that there had been no direct evidence to link her client to the killing, such as fingerprints, DNA, witnesses or video footage, per the Los Angeles Times.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
Yeong-in is a legendary public defender who took on Mo Eun’s case at the behest of his wife, celebrated cellist Choi Su-yeon.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 5 Dec. 2025
Martinez’s federal public defender argued Martinez had every right to flee.
—Julia Coin
november 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for public defender
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.
Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
Townsend’s public defender, Elizabeth Landgraf, had argued in court that there had been no direct evidence to link her client to the killing, such as fingerprints, DNA, witnesses or video footage, per the Los Angeles Times.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
Yeong-in is a legendary public defender who took on Mo Eun’s case at the behest of his wife, celebrated cellist Choi Su-yeon.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 5 Dec. 2025
Martinez’s federal public defender argued Martinez had every right to flee.
—Julia Coin
november 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for public defender
Cite this Entry
“Public defender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20defender. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share