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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 committee isn’t named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
—
Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
The defendants are accused of using union funds for salaries and benefits for no-show jobs, luxury international travel, fine dining, vacation payouts and unauthorized loans.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2026
Atmos Energy and the other defendants are culpable in Collins’ wrongful death and should pay upwards of $1 million in damages to her family, the lawsuit states.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2026
Noreus is accused of conspiring with Witherspoon, who was not charged in her case, and the other cooperating defendants to solicit students seeking nursing credentials and healthcare employment.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
The defendants are accused of using union funds for salaries and benefits for no-show jobs, luxury international travel, fine dining, vacation payouts and unauthorized loans.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2026
Atmos Energy and the other defendants are culpable in Collins’ wrongful death and should pay upwards of $1 million in damages to her family, the lawsuit states.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2026
Noreus is accused of conspiring with Witherspoon, who was not charged in her case, and the other cooperating defendants to solicit students seeking nursing credentials and healthcare employment.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant
Noun
-
California Highway Patrol officers are assigned to the Express Lanes and those toll roads and can certainly see expired tags and choose to pull over offenders.—
Jim Radcliffe,
Oc Register,
29 May 2026
-
Davis was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Russian athletes are routinely asked to answer for the actions of their government, yet athletes from other countries are rarely subjected to the same scrutiny or treated as though they are personally aligned with war criminals or dictators.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
-
Rafay Baloch, a cybersecurity expert and author of the book Web Hacking Arsenal, says that criminals specifically look for travelers who appear disoriented.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Alvarez, 41, was in MacArthur Park on May 18 when he was approached by two police officers, who initially mistook him as the suspect in a vehicle theft, according to a Justice Department news release and a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in the Central District of California.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
The neighbor alerted authorities, who later named Stephany Byrom, 48, as a suspect.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Those records, which largely do not name Hamilton, show that his church conducted an internal investigation about the abuse, reported it to law enforcement after identifying the abuser and that Hamilton personally played a role in a report about additional abuse by the perpetrator.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
-
Worse, when violence occurs, the perpetrator is too often not brought to justice.—
James C Ramos,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
