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
But the defendant, Jack Millman, is clear.
—
Joe Otterson, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
Two juries are hearing the case, one for each defendant, in Oakland County Circuit Court.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Sanders had uncovered in 2014 that Rackauckas’ prosecutors and sheriff’s deputies for years had illegally used jailhouse informants to coax confessions from defendants who had attorneys, in violation of their right to counsel.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
According to the county, this is part of fulfilling its constitutional duty to ensure fair legal representation for defendants unable to afford private counsel.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Joe Otterson, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
Two juries are hearing the case, one for each defendant, in Oakland County Circuit Court.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Sanders had uncovered in 2014 that Rackauckas’ prosecutors and sheriff’s deputies for years had illegally used jailhouse informants to coax confessions from defendants who had attorneys, in violation of their right to counsel.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
According to the county, this is part of fulfilling its constitutional duty to ensure fair legal representation for defendants unable to afford private counsel.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant
Noun
-
See video … Tune in to the FOX NEWS RUNDOWN PODCAST for a breakdown on Congress’ push for tougher laws to keep repeat violent offenders off America’s streets.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The opinion article, published in The Mercury News, argued that criminal-justice reforms had weakened consequences for serious offenders.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The show portrays Watkins introducing Gein to the story of Ilse Koch, a real-life Holocaust war criminal.—
JR Radcliffe,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
On Tuesday, a total of 300 federal agents stormed a South Side apartment building that Department of Homeland Security officials say harbored criminals.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Investigators believe the suspect also deliberately set fire to the church, which appeared engulfed in flames in photos and videos shared on social media.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Within hours of the attack, law enforcement identified Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of Burton, as the suspect.—
Dave Boucher,
Freep.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Officials discovered the bomb threat to Oktoberfest in a letter from the alleged perpetrator.—
,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The perpetrator was never caught.—
Lorenzino Estrada,
AZCentral.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share