as in offenders
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 defendants
Families of the victims pleaded with the judge to deny bail and ultimately, there were no changes in bail for any of the defendants.
—
Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Queens Defenders provides legal representation to criminal defendants who can’t afford to hire lawyers, but Zeno and boyfriend Rashad Ruhani used the organization as their personal piggy bank, stealing to pay the rent on their swanky $6,000-a-month Astoria penthouse apartment.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
Federal officials who also are defendants denied that detainees’ 1st Amendment rights were violated.
—Mike Schneider, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
Henyard, Holmes, Dolton and the township are listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Both the plaintiffs and defendants called expert witnesses to argue their case, with Drake’s manager, Adel Nur, taking the stand on the last day of testimony.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026
The arrest of the four men comes as Israeli authorities have won more than 40 indictments against more than 60 defendants working on behalf of the Iranian government.
—Elaine Mallon, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
That case accused Varsity, the USASF, Webb, Bain Capital and other defendants of engaging in anticompetitive practices affecting all-star cheerleading gyms.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
During the height of the pandemic, judges were in the courtroom, while attorneys and defendants appeared remotely.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2025
Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Queens Defenders provides legal representation to criminal defendants who can’t afford to hire lawyers, but Zeno and boyfriend Rashad Ruhani used the organization as their personal piggy bank, stealing to pay the rent on their swanky $6,000-a-month Astoria penthouse apartment.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
Federal officials who also are defendants denied that detainees’ 1st Amendment rights were violated.
—Mike Schneider, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
Henyard, Holmes, Dolton and the township are listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Both the plaintiffs and defendants called expert witnesses to argue their case, with Drake’s manager, Adel Nur, taking the stand on the last day of testimony.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026
The arrest of the four men comes as Israeli authorities have won more than 40 indictments against more than 60 defendants working on behalf of the Iranian government.
—Elaine Mallon, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
That case accused Varsity, the USASF, Webb, Bain Capital and other defendants of engaging in anticompetitive practices affecting all-star cheerleading gyms.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
During the height of the pandemic, judges were in the courtroom, while attorneys and defendants appeared remotely.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendants
Noun
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He was convicted in 2019 at age 13 of assaulting another child at school with a hockey stick and placed under supervision of a local service for youth offenders.—
Brian Melley,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
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He was convicted in 2019, aged 13, of assaulting another child at school with a hockey stick and placed under supervision of a local service for youth offenders.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The scheme is designed to identify suspected criminals, combat identity fraud, and to police the EU's limit on 90-day stays within a 180-day period, according to the European Commission.—
Emma Clarke,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Apr. 2026
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Rex Heuermann, the man known as the Gilgo Beach killer, admitted to killing eight women over a span of decades, and the FBI is now looking into what motivated the 62-year-old to carry out his crimes to help capture other criminals in the future.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Deem fired his weapon at the suspects, but no injuries were reported, and the disturbance suspect has not been apprehended.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
2 Oct. 2025
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One of the suspects was found guilty of first-degree murder in June 2021, among a list of other charges, while the other suspect pleaded guilty in early 2020 to 17 counts, including murder charges.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defendants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendants. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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