DEFENDANT Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

defendant

noun

Definition of defendant

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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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 lawsuit says the hazing was conducted or overseen by a group of fraternity leaders named as defendants. — Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2026 Attorneys for the three defendants did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026 Two other defendants, Erfan Esfandiari and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, were executed July 19, bringing the total number of executions in the case to four. — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026 Kaye then turned his attention once more to the defendant, who was headed to Knott’s Berry Farm to celebrate his graduation with family. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for defendant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant

Noun

Because of his previous felonies, though none for violent crimes, Pfister could now be defined as a habitual offender under Michigan law and faces prison.

— Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
That’s like staying in the dugout during a bench-clearing brawl after a pitcher plonks a batter, then offering the offender a handshake the next inning.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Definition of offender

Noun

The detective-heroines (and especially the actress-detectives) in this canon are careful about how performance might be extended to social duplicity, dishonesty, and fraud—but the lady criminals of Victorian detective fiction cross this line easily.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026
From 1873 to 1991, the island served as Costa Rica’s principal penitentiary, where some of the country’s worst criminals were sent to serve often short and torturous sentences.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

The killer stole one TV from the apartment but left behind a recording device, allowing police to recover the video of the hooded suspect arriving, police have said.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 July 2026
Detectives identified Stevenson Tuimavave as the primary suspect and obtained warrants for his arrest and a search of his home, police said.

— Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 21 July 2026

Definition of suspect

Noun

The perpetrator of parental alienation can employ a variety of tactics, including when one parent tells the child that the other parent hates the child or that the other parent is abusive, Psychology Today also said.

— Martha Ross, Mercury News, 23 July 2026
Except none of it was true — and the real perpetrator behind the madness wasn’t who anyone suspected.

— Katie Mather, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

Definition of perpetrator

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defendable

defendant

defendants

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“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of defendant

noun

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