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
According to Bachner, use of RICO sometimes allows prosecutors to introduce evidence of conduct from long ago, tie together multiple criminal acts if they all were connected to a similar purpose, and stiffen potential sentences for defendants.
—
Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 5 June 2025
According to the Clarion Ledger, Aimee Allison, the founder of political action group She The People, filed the litigation, which lists Tyler Vision, Perry’s production company, and an additional 25 unnamed defendants.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 4 June 2025
The department cited the expiration of relevant statutes of limitations and the youngest potential defendants being more than 115 years old.
—James Powel, USA Today, 4 June 2025
In that joint filing, the lawyers for the defendants said the Trump order only serves to make their case stronger, reinforcing their arguments that such claims are preempted by both the U.S. Constitution and federal law and must be dismissed.
—David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 5 June 2025
According to the Clarion Ledger, Aimee Allison, the founder of political action group She The People, filed the litigation, which lists Tyler Vision, Perry’s production company, and an additional 25 unnamed defendants.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 4 June 2025
The department cited the expiration of relevant statutes of limitations and the youngest potential defendants being more than 115 years old.
—James Powel, USA Today, 4 June 2025
In that joint filing, the lawyers for the defendants said the Trump order only serves to make their case stronger, reinforcing their arguments that such claims are preempted by both the U.S. Constitution and federal law and must be dismissed.
—David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant
Noun
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Or even those Californians, such as many in San Francisco and Los Angeles, who are just fed up with the perception that California is soft on criminals.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
-
To boost deportations, immigration officials have detained workers at their homes and jobs — a method that, in the past, had been reserved for only the most violent criminals.—
Ana Ley,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
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The suspect, who was killed in a gunfight with police, had pledged support for ISIS, according to investigators.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
8 June 2025
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Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera was fatally shot by a fellow cop during a confrontation with an armed suspect Thursday, police have announced.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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