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 No law requires debt collectors to request arrest warrants when defendants fail to appear in court. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026 The three parties are defendants in a suit brought by Timothy Reif, a descendant of Fritz Grünbaum, a Jewish performer and collector killed in a Nazi camp in 1941. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 2 Nov. 2026 Shahrzad Shahbazi, a lawyer representing defendants in the case, has disputed the official account, saying none had formally been charged with murder and there was no fair trial. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026 According to Open Class Actions, claims against co-defendants Meta and Google will continue separately. — Brian Sloan, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defendant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant

Noun

One of the key differences between this new ordinance and the previous two is the fine is steeper for first- and second-time offenders, which was a request from City Council.

— Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026
That feeling of closure was shattered last week when her attacker was paroled under a controversial law that makes nonviolent offenders eligible for early release.

— Doha Madani, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of offender

Noun

The 83-year-old Mann is known for directing gritty crime stories, many of which look at cops and criminals and are set in urban landscapes.

— Brent Lang, IndieWire, 1 Nov. 2026
If a criminal still controls the sender's inbox, that person could potentially intercept the question and send a reassuring answer.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

The church investigated the first incident in 2005 but did not report it to law enforcement when the victims couldn’t positively identify the perpetrator, and the man returned for the 2006 camp.

— John Hanna, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
Commissioner [Jessica] Tisch that the NYPD is pulling out all the stops in their efforts to catch the perpetrator.

— Kelsie Cairns , Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 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 7 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of defendant

noun

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