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
Bianco was not a defendant in the lawsuit.
—
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Co-defendant Darius Wolfe was found guilty of armed carjacking and assault for his role in the crime as well, court officials said.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Lawyers for the defendants had in legal filings said Trump’s case should be dismissed because the article about the letter is true, the article is not defamatory, and because Trump had not shown that the newspaper acted with actual malice.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2026
The numbers show that relatively few defendants statewide are granted diversion.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Co-defendant Darius Wolfe was found guilty of armed carjacking and assault for his role in the crime as well, court officials said.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Lawyers for the defendants had in legal filings said Trump’s case should be dismissed because the article about the letter is true, the article is not defamatory, and because Trump had not shown that the newspaper acted with actual malice.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2026
The numbers show that relatively few defendants statewide are granted diversion.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant
Noun
-
Court records show Abugharbieh entered into a diversion program for first-time offenders charged with misdemeanors.—
Holly Ramer,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Per the alert, surveillance footage showed that in each of the incidents, one offender gained access by breaking into several vehicle windows and then proceeding to remove valuable items inside the cars.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Many of the toughest criminals taken into ICE custody were already in prison, but many others who were arrested have no criminal history.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In the furthest part of space lies Dante 01, a detention facility that houses criminals who have committed the most shocking crimes imaginable.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Police identified Delgado-Cordoba as a suspect through his rideshare profile, social media and DNA.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Investigators identified Gavin as a suspect after he was spotted on video surveillance using Caballero’s debit card following her death.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Where a victim has deliberately been lured to a potentially dangerous setting and then abandoned, the perpetrator may be suffering from a personality disorder, Hemmings said.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Often in kidnapping cases, the easiest way to find the perpetrator is by having someone close to them, or someone who has seen something strange, call the authorities.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
