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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Recent Examples of defendant
Additionally, five of the defendants are scheduled to appear for a detention hearing on Friday.
—
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Among the defendants are the Getty Villa, SoCalGas, Southern California Edison, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and three communications companies.
—Tony Saavedra, Daily News, 10 June 2026
In one of the fraud allegations, authorities alleged that the two companies and some defendants conspired together to defraud the apartment owners of Wang Fuk Court by concealing previous litigation records of Prestige and inflating the score given to the firm in a tender analysis report.
—ABC News, 10 June 2026
About 30 family members and friends attended the hearing in support of both defendants.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Among the defendants are the Getty Villa, SoCalGas, Southern California Edison, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and three communications companies.
—Tony Saavedra, Daily News, 10 June 2026
In one of the fraud allegations, authorities alleged that the two companies and some defendants conspired together to defraud the apartment owners of Wang Fuk Court by concealing previous litigation records of Prestige and inflating the score given to the firm in a tender analysis report.
—ABC News, 10 June 2026
About 30 family members and friends attended the hearing in support of both defendants.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant
Noun
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Dark Wood Furniture Dark furniture is one of the worst offenders in narrow spaces.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
7 June 2026
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It's designed for first-time offenders.—
Ricky Sayer,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Noun
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Russian athletes are routinely asked to answer for the actions of their government, yet athletes from other countries are rarely subjected to the same scrutiny or treated as though they are personally aligned with war criminals or dictators.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
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Rafay Baloch, a cybersecurity expert and author of the book Web Hacking Arsenal, says that criminals specifically look for travelers who appear disoriented.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Noun
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Alvarez, 41, was in MacArthur Park on May 18 when he was approached by two police officers, who initially mistook him as the suspect in a vehicle theft, according to a Justice Department news release and a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in the Central District of California.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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The neighbor alerted authorities, who later named Stephany Byrom, 48, as a suspect.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Over the course of multiple sessions, Alex was able to recall several details from the traumatic event — including a description of the perpetrator.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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The third and fourth sections are, respectively, a somewhat non-traditional perpetrator and a man who seeks out his abuser many years later.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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