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
The 42-year-old became the third defendant sentenced of the five people who have pleaded guilty in connection with the overdose of the 54-year-old actor.
—
Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
For murder, the defendant was sentenced to life in prison.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
Her plea follows the path of the other four defendants who struck agreements with federal prosecutors.
—Jack Hannah, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
This is a standard that often benefits defendants.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
For murder, the defendant was sentenced to life in prison.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
Her plea follows the path of the other four defendants who struck agreements with federal prosecutors.
—Jack Hannah, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
This is a standard that often benefits defendants.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant
Noun
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Preliminary investigation indicated that an unknown offender pulled out a gun and shot into a crowd of people who were standing outside, hitting three of them.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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Surprisingly, the worst offenders are often the most traveled.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The scheme is designed to identify suspected criminals, combat identity fraud, and to police the EU's limit on 90-day stays within a 180-day period, according to the European Commission.—
Emma Clarke,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Apr. 2026
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Rex Heuermann, the man known as the Gilgo Beach killer, admitted to killing eight women over a span of decades, and the FBI is now looking into what motivated the 62-year-old to carry out his crimes to help capture other criminals in the future.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Investigators have not determined a description of the suspect.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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The news of the suspect’s arrest was first reported by Wired.—
Daniel Arkin,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Colman Domingo put his considerable fashion bona fides into a sketch on last night’s Saturday Night Live about FIT students trying to describe the perpetrator of an armed robbery.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Apr. 2026
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One officer discharged his firearm, striking the perpetrator twice.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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