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
Federal sentencing guidelines generally call for probation for defendants like her, who have no criminal history and are convicted of a nonviolent crime.
—
CBS News, 17 June 2026
In the suit — which names CBS TV Studios, Matlock EPs Nicki Renna and Jeffrey Lieber as defendants, along with Urman — Lowe says he was pressured to take a dog of the showrunner’s with the implication that his job depended on it.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 June 2026
Such a defense is often used in cases where a defendant acts in the heat of the moment, such as finding their spouse cheating on them.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
That type of plea carries the weight of a guilty plea but allows a defendant to not admit guilt while understanding that there was enough evidence for a jury to convict.
—Shannon Tyler
june 17, Idaho Statesman, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
CBS News, 17 June 2026
In the suit — which names CBS TV Studios, Matlock EPs Nicki Renna and Jeffrey Lieber as defendants, along with Urman — Lowe says he was pressured to take a dog of the showrunner’s with the implication that his job depended on it.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 June 2026
Such a defense is often used in cases where a defendant acts in the heat of the moment, such as finding their spouse cheating on them.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
That type of plea carries the weight of a guilty plea but allows a defendant to not admit guilt while understanding that there was enough evidence for a jury to convict.
—Shannon Tyler
june 17, Idaho Statesman, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant
Noun
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The offender is described as an African-American man between 40-45 years of age, weighing 180-200 pounds, and was last seen wearing a gray/black baseball cap, a light blue shirt, gray pants, and black gym shoes.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
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To better understand what drives a young person to commit these crimes, CNN spent months searching for prior offenders willing to speak about their experience.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
Noun
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This makes your accounts much harder to break into, even if a criminal gets control of your phone number.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
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And historically, denaturalization has been reserved for the most egregious offenders, such as human rights abusers and violent criminals.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Noun
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The plot was foiled when a suspect’s mother alerted police, court documents said.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
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The shootings, which police suspect were committed by one man, left one person dead and four people injured.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Incel ideology tied to past attacks Incel ideology has been linked to other mass killings in Canada, including the 2018 Toronto van attack, when a perpetrator who identified as an incel drove down a crowded sidewalk and deliberately killed 10 people.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
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The perpetrator was sentenced to 13 years in prison in March.—
Toby Axelrod,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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