as in compensatory
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1
as in clearing
to free from a charge of wrongdoing
acquitted of the robbery charge after proving he was nowhere near the scene of the crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in behaving
to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way
the king promised handsome rewards to all who acquitted themselves well in the battle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of acquitting
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Soon after, Dead & Company, with John Mayer acquitting himself in the Garcia role better than anyone would have thought, set sail.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
This means the Seoul court has three options on Yoon — issuing the death sentence as requested by Cho’s team, commuting it to life sentence or 20-50 years in prison, or acquitting him.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Hank Brennan, a longtime defense attorney famous for representing Bulger, earned $566,000 for his work as special prosecutor in Read’s second murder trial, which ended with a jury acquitting the woman of O’Keefe’s death.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 26 Nov. 2025
The first jury, by contrast, deliberated for days before acquitting Amiri of conspiracy, multiple deprivation-of-rights charges and convicting him of the single dog attack and records falsification.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Jury leans toward convicting Sweet and brother Harry for manslaughter and acquitting everyone else, but can't reach unanimous verdicts.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verdict Announced in Young Dolph's Murder Trial The jury deliberated for about three hours before acquitting the 45-year-old of first-degree murder and conspiracy charges.
—Jenna Sundel
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
In 2013, with Knox now back in the United States, Italy’s highest court ordered a new trial, ultimately acquitting her in 2015.
—New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
In Davis’s work, runny paint has a way of acquitting objects of their permanence.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Soon after, Dead & Company, with John Mayer acquitting himself in the Garcia role better than anyone would have thought, set sail.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
This means the Seoul court has three options on Yoon — issuing the death sentence as requested by Cho’s team, commuting it to life sentence or 20-50 years in prison, or acquitting him.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Hank Brennan, a longtime defense attorney famous for representing Bulger, earned $566,000 for his work as special prosecutor in Read’s second murder trial, which ended with a jury acquitting the woman of O’Keefe’s death.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 26 Nov. 2025
The first jury, by contrast, deliberated for days before acquitting Amiri of conspiracy, multiple deprivation-of-rights charges and convicting him of the single dog attack and records falsification.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Jury leans toward convicting Sweet and brother Harry for manslaughter and acquitting everyone else, but can't reach unanimous verdicts.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verdict Announced in Young Dolph's Murder Trial The jury deliberated for about three hours before acquitting the 45-year-old of first-degree murder and conspiracy charges.
—Jenna Sundel
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
In 2013, with Knox now back in the United States, Italy’s highest court ordered a new trial, ultimately acquitting her in 2015.
—New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquitting
Verb
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House Bill 1084 was passed along party lines, clearing its first chamber.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
7 Mar. 2026
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Mavericks rookie standout Cooper Flagg, who returned Thursday after missing eight games with a foot injury, was not listed on Dallas’ injury report, clearing the Newport, Maine, native to make his first professional appearance at TD Garden.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So why is the bond market behaving in such a weird way?—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
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The cops were there in response to 911 calls about a disorderly mob of adult idiots behaving like unruly 7-year-olds.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Thursday’s proceeding is expected to bring that long chapter to a close, formally exonerating the four men and marking a consequential moment in a case that has haunted Austin for more than three decades.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Feb. 2026
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The official investigators of the deaths during the infamous riot were under intense and explicit pressure to conform their testimony to an official, state-exonerating narrative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At the height of the sectarian war, parts of Baghdad were so riddled with impromptu militia checkpoints that many Iraqis started carrying two official-looking IDs — one genuine and the other a forgery with a last name and birthplace associated with the other sect.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Zero tankers transited the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, a narrow channel just off Iran’s southern coast that’s normally packed with an armada of 60 or more ships carrying 20% of the world’s oil.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Morgan said the police officer and the city are fair game — especially if Patel’s attorneys can show certain exculpatory evidence was withheld.—
Shaddi Abusaid,
AJC.com,
9 Feb. 2026
-
In a separate court filing submitted Monday, Cole’s attorneys also demanded broad discovery, including all statements attributed to him, investigative notes, information about the FBI’s use of informants to identify Cole as a suspect, and any exculpatory material.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Her dominant performance was vindicating and erased a bittersweet moment from last season at state.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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Cristobal winning a national title would be wholly vindicating for him and would still probably convince no one.—
Will Leitch,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But restraining a president’s war powers is something lawmakers past and present have rarely been able to accomplish.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
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The lawsuit sought a temporary restraining order preventing the board and Cavin from taking any further action in their cases, as well as an injunction restraining Cavin and the board from discriminating against, or retaliating against, Mejia and Smith.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Compared to the absolving gleam of latex, sloppy imperfection isn’t especially sexy.—
Lillian Fishman,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The team issued a series of statements Wednesday accepting blame for approving the design and absolving the league’s uniform manufacturer, Fanatics, of responsibility.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acquitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquitting. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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