acquit

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb acquit differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of acquit are absolve, exculpate, exonerate, and vindicate. While all these words mean "to free from a charge," acquit implies a formal decision in one's favor with respect to a definite charge.

voted to acquit the defendant

When might absolve be a better fit than acquit?

While the synonyms absolve and acquit are close in meaning, absolve implies a release either from an obligation that binds the conscience or from the consequences of disobeying the law or committing a sin.

cannot be absolved of blame

When can exculpate be used instead of acquit?

In some situations, the words exculpate and acquit are roughly equivalent. However, exculpate implies a clearing from blame or fault often in a matter of small importance.

exculpating himself from the charge of overenthusiasm

When is it sensible to use exonerate instead of acquit?

While in some cases nearly identical to acquit, exonerate implies a complete clearance from an accusation or charge and from any attendant suspicion of blame or guilt.

exonerated by the investigation

When could vindicate be used to replace acquit?

The words vindicate and acquit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, vindicate may refer to things as well as persons that have been subjected to critical attack or imputation of guilt, weakness, or folly, and implies a clearing effected by proving the unfairness of such criticism or blame.

her judgment was vindicated

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of acquit After jurors left the courtroom for lunch, defense lawyer Alexandra Shapiro asked the judge to step in and simply acquit Combs himself. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025 Not guilty Guilty Mistrial Hung jury Answer: The Massachusetts woman was acquitted after prosecutors retried her in the 2022 death of her boyfriend John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer. Jeremy Mikula, NBC news, 21 June 2025 Her first trial in 2024 ended in a hung jury, but on June 18, she was acquitted on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Melina Khan, USA Today, 20 June 2025 The president was ultimately acquitted in the Senate. Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for acquit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquit
Verb
  • Senate Republicans can only lose three members and still clear the package, assuming full attendance and united Democratic opposition.
    Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 30 June 2025
  • In February, it was cleared to enter Phase II to study the drug’s efficacy and side effects—this is typically the second most difficult phase where only 33% of drugs make it through.
    Will Yakowicz, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • The magazine will be carried by Foreign Exchange News, Tenderbooks, Rococo News & Magazines and Reference Point in London and RIPE Mags in Glasgow.
    Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 23 June 2025
  • Several of the stealth warplanes, the only ones capable of carrying the Pentagon’s most powerful bunker buster, headed west over the Pacific Ocean.
    Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • The loss came one day after manager Dave Martinez absolved his coaches from any blame for the team’s recent struggles, thereby appearing to put the onus on his players.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 June 2025
  • Others also stressed that dying doesn’t absolve all sins and how her husband could’ve triggered her.
    Stephanie Guerilus, People.com, 15 June 2025
Verb
  • An aside: phosphorylation is when a tiny chemical group called a phosphate is added to a protein, such as tau, which is like adding a switch to change how the protein behaves.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 June 2025
  • Yet, but Buyers Are Gaining Power For Hale, the recent shifts in the U.S. housing market signals that the country is moving in favor of buyers—and under certain aspects is already behaving more like a buyer's market than a seller's one.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • Each of their three goals was well-worked in their own way, pulling Pachuca’s shape apart with such ease that you would be forgiven for thinking Alonso’s side were the ones with the player advantage.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 22 June 2025
  • But even the most committed cinephiles should forgive anyone who averts their gaze from Camp and Wilson’s disastrous misfire.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • When restrained, Perry falls to the ground while still cursing, as seen in another video, and is then removed from the flight.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 27 June 2025
  • Earlier this month, on June 17, a 32-year-old female New York resident was restrained and removed from a Southwest flight from LaGuardia to Kansas City.
    Colson Thayer, People.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • She was exonerated nearly two weeks later, after prosecutors said no intoxicating substances were found in Cervantes’ blood.
    CalMatters, Mercury News, 20 June 2025
  • Raquel Fernandez, was exonerated after being accused of compromising Baseggio’s criminal case.
    Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • However, diverse actions over decades have often been conducted in coordination with Iran–and many would not have happened without Iranian support.
    Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
  • Research conducted for exhibits on Nolde in Frankfurt in 2014 and in Berlin in 2019 revealed the artist’s true relationship to Nazism to the wider public.
    Ombline Damy, JSTOR Daily, 26 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Acquit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquit. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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