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
Earlier this year, a Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge ruled that the most serious charges against four of six defendants in the shooting will be held for trial.
—
Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 9 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
State prosecutors allege the defendants purchased on the dark web the personal identifying information of non-California residents and, without their knowledge, enrolled them in Medi-Cal through Covered California.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The legal disputes involving the principals behind Open Cheer & Dance and the Varsity defendants predate the current litigation.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Four other defendants pleaded guilty in connection with Perry's death, including Iwamasa and Fleming, as well as doctors Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Six of the eight defendants will appear in federal court on Thursday afternoon.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 2 Apr. 2026
The Education and Justice departments, two of the top agencies named as defendants in the lawsuit, did not immediately return a request for comment.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025
Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 9 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
State prosecutors allege the defendants purchased on the dark web the personal identifying information of non-California residents and, without their knowledge, enrolled them in Medi-Cal through Covered California.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The legal disputes involving the principals behind Open Cheer & Dance and the Varsity defendants predate the current litigation.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Four other defendants pleaded guilty in connection with Perry's death, including Iwamasa and Fleming, as well as doctors Mark Chavez and Salvador Plasencia.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Six of the eight defendants will appear in federal court on Thursday afternoon.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 2 Apr. 2026
The Education and Justice departments, two of the top agencies named as defendants in the lawsuit, did not immediately return a request for comment.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendants
Noun
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Anyone can see how many cases are filed, how much attorneys collect, and who the worst offenders are.—
Tom Manzo,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
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Punish the worst offenders by requiring them to apologize, publicly, for missing the mark.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 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 12 Apr. 2026.
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