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
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Recent Examples of defendant
In court documents, O’Hara alleged the defendants violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights, accusing them of unlawfully restricting free speech and initiating an unlawful seizure while using excessive force.
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Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
2 July 2026
Other defendants sentenced Wednesday included Rebecca Morgan, Joy Gibson, Nathan Baumann, John Thomas, Lynette Sharp and Seth Sikes, with sentences ranging from 22 months to 15 years.
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Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 July 2026
The four remaining Yolo County defendants who have not been offered bail all face murder charges.
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Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
2 July 2026
The company that provided the software, Kalibrate, is named as a defendant.
—
Audrey McGlinchy,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
2 July 2026
Other defendants sentenced Wednesday included Rebecca Morgan, Joy Gibson, Nathan Baumann, John Thomas, Lynette Sharp and Seth Sikes, with sentences ranging from 22 months to 15 years.
—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 July 2026
The four remaining Yolo County defendants who have not been offered bail all face murder charges.
—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
2 July 2026
The company that provided the software, Kalibrate, is named as a defendant.
—
Audrey McGlinchy,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for defendant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant
Noun
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Deputies responded to the area and identified an undisclosed number of juveniles as the offenders, officials said.
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Washington faces decisions about whether to sanction firms that engage in distillation, restrict the chips and cloud infrastructure that support it, and create legal safe harbors for American AI labs to share threat intelligence about offenders.
Noun
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What begins as a chance to escape the routine of his everyday life quickly spirals into a dangerous gathering of powerful criminals, old enemies, and unresolved loyalties.
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That creates the perfect opening for criminals.
Noun
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The suspect, 30‑year‑old Trevion Mark of Fort Worth, was arrested nearby without incident and charged with reckless endangerment and evading arrest in a motor vehicle, according to DPS.
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The suspect’s vehicle entered a closed roadway on Interstate 20 at the 420 exit near Aledo and struck an 18-wheeler, the release states.
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.
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The perpetrator was sentenced to 13 years in prison in March.
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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