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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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 defendant and others allegedly used a yacht that departed from the German port of Rostock. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 If convicted of all charges, the defendants face up to 35 years in prison. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Salerno, Pham’s co-defendant and friend since middle school, did not address the court. — Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2026 One defendant pleaded guilty in May of this year, while three others are awaiting trial. — Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defendant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant

Noun

Research on offenders with mental disorders suggests that recidivism depends more on criminal history than on diagnosis.

— Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
At the root of the crisis is inadequate laws to punish offenders and a poor judicial system, activists say.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of offender

Noun

That same month, criminals nabbed a $4 million diamond necklace from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK).

— Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
For decades, Hollywood actor Danny Trejo’s bread and butter was playing gangsters, prison inmates and other assorted criminals.

— Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

Officers retreated and called for backup, but officials said the suspect fired shots at police.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2026
Kaylub Giamanco, whose children attend the school, had earlier seen the shooter open fire on a man who verbally confronted the suspect outside the school.

— Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of suspect

Noun

Throughout Israel’s history, even in the rare cases of conviction of a soldier or a policeman for killing Palestinians, the maximum time a perpetrator spent in prison was three years and four months.

— Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
Before the crime is committed, a construction worker stares at the perpetrator in the back of the vehicle.

— E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of defendant

noun

Example Sentences

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