DEFENDANT Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

defendant

noun

Definition of defendant

as in offender

a person who is being sued or accused of a crime in a court of law The jury believed that the defendant was guilty.

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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 defendant The defense argued that few defendants prosecuted in the nursing-school cases had voluntarily surrendered anything approaching that amount and that Singhal should consider the payment in deciding how much prison time to impose. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026 All 12 defendants were arrested Thursday and the charges against them were unsealed Tuesday. — Ken Sweet, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Two defendants, Lakiya Malone, 48, and Michael Young, 46, were arrested early Wednesday morning in Los Angeles. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026 All five defendants are believed to live in Russia and remain at large, the Justice Department said. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defendant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant

Noun

If the offender comes closer than a kilometre, the app notifies police; probation authorities will then call the victim to establish their safety and can dispatch officers to the area.

— Will Barker, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
Tallman is named the victim in the report, but an offender isn’t mentioned.

— Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of offender

Noun

Victims who clicked those ads were redirected to fake banking websites controlled by the criminals, according to the DOJ.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Trump, his family and his wealthy cronies are criminals spending taxpayers’ money and taking it with their underhanded deals with our enemies.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

Badio, considered a key suspect, was arrested in Haiti in October 2023 after being on the run for more than two years.

— EVENS SANON, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
According to South Bend authorities, Notre Dame Police told them a male suspect was seen armed and reportedly pointing a gun at people, but when South Bend Police found a suspect matching their description, the person was unarmed.

— Eric Mack, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of suspect

Noun

Others are inclined to rank evils according to the amount of savagery evident in the perpetrator, not to the damage inflicted on the world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
The victim described a perpetrator who was 24 to 25 years old, skinny and clean-shaven, with a clear speaking voice.

— Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of perpetrator

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defendable

defendant

defendants

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“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of defendant

noun

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