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.
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 defendants
Some defendants are also accused of conspiring to bribe a civilian contractor to create fraudulent military IDs for base access.
—
Steve Patterson, Florida Times-Union, 5 Feb. 2026
Court records show that several weeks later, the case was settled out of court with the defendants never having filed a response to the allegations.
—Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 5 Feb. 2026
The case had gone to trial after a team of British detectives descended on the island to investigate claims that Misick and his ministers were furnishing their lavish lifestyles through corrupt deals — allegations the former premier and his co-defendants denied.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
All of the cases against the other defendants involved a joint investigation by the Shin Bet and Israel Police.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
An attorney for Linares-Orozco declined to comment in an email to the AP, and no attorneys were listed in court papers for the other defendants.
—Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The number of defendants has grown to 78 throughout the ongoing investigation.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
Named in the lawsuit as defendants were Welsh, Interim President Tommy Williams, Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar and the Texas A&M System’s Board of Regents.
—Juan A. Lozano, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
Federal officials who also are defendants said no First Amendment rights were being violated.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
Steve Patterson, Florida Times-Union, 5 Feb. 2026
Court records show that several weeks later, the case was settled out of court with the defendants never having filed a response to the allegations.
—Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 5 Feb. 2026
The case had gone to trial after a team of British detectives descended on the island to investigate claims that Misick and his ministers were furnishing their lavish lifestyles through corrupt deals — allegations the former premier and his co-defendants denied.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
All of the cases against the other defendants involved a joint investigation by the Shin Bet and Israel Police.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
An attorney for Linares-Orozco declined to comment in an email to the AP, and no attorneys were listed in court papers for the other defendants.
—Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The number of defendants has grown to 78 throughout the ongoing investigation.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
Named in the lawsuit as defendants were Welsh, Interim President Tommy Williams, Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar and the Texas A&M System’s Board of Regents.
—Juan A. Lozano, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
Federal officials who also are defendants said no First Amendment rights were being violated.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendants
Noun
-
Despite the wholesale change in how California sentences juvenile offenders, outrage over the crime has not faded.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
In 2024, the Associated Press reported that inmates at a Virginia facility that predominantly holds mentally ill offenders were hospitalized for hypothermia at least 13 times over the course of three years.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There’s no word on ICE having a special decoder ring that tracks only the criminals.—
Tressie McMillan Cottom,
Mercury News,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Houser said that because the majority of Americans support removing serious criminals, the White House muddies the waters in an effort to maintain support for mass deportations.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
