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 The plane’s two pilots, who survived the crash, Joseph Carroll and Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, are also listed as defendants. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026 Moore was not in custody, and the other three defendants were, Thompson said Tuesday evening. — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2026 The resulting hodgepodge of conditions make keeping track of 3,000 or so Cook County defendants on ankle monitors essentially impossible. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026 Bonds are designed to reduce the risk to plaintiffs that they won’t be paid if the defendant goes bankrupt while spending money on an appeal. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defendant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant

Noun

First-time targeting offenders do not receive any additional sanctions.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026
Most of the offenders, too, appear to be delis and bodegas and fast-casual food carts, venues where quality is secondary to moving product quickly and cheaply out the door.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of offender

Noun

Most crimes across Mexico went unsolved, and authorities sometimes appeared to be colluding with criminals instead of fighting them.

— Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Keeping email, downloads and everyday web activity away from that machine reduces the opportunities criminals have to reach it.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

Controversy surrounding Flock cameras Last month, these cameras helped deputies in Cass County track down a shooting suspect, after their vehicle was flagged by a Flock camera, according to the sheriff’s office.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026
The rest of the sample was sent to a lab that had the technology to create a genealogical profile of the suspect.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of suspect

Noun

Both of the victims, as well as the alleged perpetrator, were taken to Bellevue Hospital.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
This Sundance Film Festival hit, a stunning depiction of childhood trauma told from a child’s perspective, also stars Philip Ettinger as the perpetrator of that act and Gemma Chan as the titular heroine’s mother.

— Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 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 10 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of defendant

noun

Example Sentences

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