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 defendant did not ask questions about the letter prosecutors introduced into evidence.
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Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 June 2026
The defendants in the lawsuit — which also include BP, Speedway, EG America, Walmart and Albertsons — collectively operate more than 1,700 gas stations in California, according to the lawsuit.
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ABC News,
24 June 2026
Each of the four defendants faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
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Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
24 June 2026
Several other defendants also face possible life sentences, including Kenna Middleton, 45; Leviticus Blash, 42; Chrystal Dunn, 37; and brothers Jeff and Tysean Richardson, both 23.
—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 June 2026
The defendants in the lawsuit — which also include BP, Speedway, EG America, Walmart and Albertsons — collectively operate more than 1,700 gas stations in California, according to the lawsuit.
—
ABC News,
24 June 2026
Each of the four defendants faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
—
Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
24 June 2026
Several other defendants also face possible life sentences, including Kenna Middleton, 45; Leviticus Blash, 42; Chrystal Dunn, 37; and brothers Jeff and Tysean Richardson, both 23.
—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant
Noun
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The offender is described as an African-American man between 40-45 years of age, weighing 180-200 pounds, and was last seen wearing a gray/black baseball cap, a light blue shirt, gray pants, and black gym shoes.
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To better understand what drives a young person to commit these crimes, CNN spent months searching for prior offenders willing to speak about their experience.
Noun
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This makes your accounts much harder to break into, even if a criminal gets control of your phone number.
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And historically, denaturalization has been reserved for the most egregious offenders, such as human rights abusers and violent criminals.
Noun
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The plot was foiled when a suspect’s mother alerted police, court documents said.
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The shootings, which police suspect were committed by one man, left one person dead and four people injured.
Noun
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Incel ideology tied to past attacks Incel ideology has been linked to other mass killings in Canada, including the 2018 Toronto van attack, when a perpetrator who identified as an incel drove down a crowded sidewalk and deliberately killed 10 people.
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The perpetrator was sentenced to 13 years in prison in March.
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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