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
Consistent with Crawford, the Confrontation Clause guarantees the defendant a face-to-face meeting with witnesses.
—
Robert Anello, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Aside from the California Department of Education and the Jurupa Unified School District, the defendants also include the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports across the state.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Kennedy has said the program disadvantages claimants because the Department of Health and Human Services is the defendant, as opposed to vaccine makers.
—Tiger Joyce, Boston Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
The three defendants were arrested in May 2024.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Robert Anello, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Aside from the California Department of Education and the Jurupa Unified School District, the defendants also include the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports across the state.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Kennedy has said the program disadvantages claimants because the Department of Health and Human Services is the defendant, as opposed to vaccine makers.
—Tiger Joyce, Boston Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
The three defendants were arrested in May 2024.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant
Noun
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Biden’s autopen signature was used to issue major clemency orders in the final two months of his term that affected more than 4,000 individuals, including drug offenders and those placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Sep. 2025
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Produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment, Law & Order examines the criminal justice system and tells the stories of the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Our research suggests that the vast majority of Republican voters want to close loopholes that allow criminals and dangerous people to get their hands on guns.—
Gabby Giffords,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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The days of letting dangerous criminals terrorize American citizens are over.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Kirk was killed in Utah on Wednesday and the suspect, Tyler Robinson, was caught after his father turned him in to authorities on Friday.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
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After being discovered outside the Gladstone Road address, the baby was taken to the hospital, the release noted, without naming the then 25-year-old suspect.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That kind of content always fascinated me, both sides of it, actually, the victimology and the perpetrator’s perspective.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
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The surprise perpetrator The documentary shows the body camera footage from the day police confronted Kendra.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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