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
And Cipriani later amended his complaint adding Paramount, David and Larry Ellisons, RedBird Capital and Paramount’s board of directors as defendants.
—
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Eight of the nine defendants were arrested on the same day FBI agents raided Pooh Shiesty’s family home near Memphis.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
The defendants were accused of running sham hospice care facilities that defrauded Medicare by using people without terminal illnesses as beneficiaries, according to the California Justice Department.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 2 Apr. 2026
In search of money for a party, the four defendants allegedly were armed with guns and dressed in black with face coverings.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
The defendants operated facilities in Covina, Anaheim, Glendale and Lakewood.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Eight of the nine defendants were arrested on Wednesday in Dallas and Memphis.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
Eight of the nine defendants were arrested this week in Dallas and Memphis.
—Sergio Candido, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Authorities say surveillance footage from the crime scene, a nearby office supply store, and a hotel where several defendants stayed also helped lead to the charges and arrests.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Eight of the nine defendants were arrested on the same day FBI agents raided Pooh Shiesty’s family home near Memphis.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
The defendants were accused of running sham hospice care facilities that defrauded Medicare by using people without terminal illnesses as beneficiaries, according to the California Justice Department.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 2 Apr. 2026
In search of money for a party, the four defendants allegedly were armed with guns and dressed in black with face coverings.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
The defendants operated facilities in Covina, Anaheim, Glendale and Lakewood.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Eight of the nine defendants were arrested on Wednesday in Dallas and Memphis.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
Eight of the nine defendants were arrested this week in Dallas and Memphis.
—Sergio Candido, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Authorities say surveillance footage from the crime scene, a nearby office supply store, and a hotel where several defendants stayed also helped lead to the charges and arrests.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendants
Noun
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Holmes qualified for the reduced term under a 2023 rule change allowing first-time offenders to do less time for some non-violent crimes, according to an order issued Thursday by the federal judge who sentenced her in 2022 for defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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And many Democrats see it as an effort to curb more liberal prosecutors who have embraced restorative justice policies, including steering nonviolent offenders away from prison sentences or taking more lax approaches to drug offenses.—
Riley Bunch,
AJC.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Göring, played by Russell Crowe, is the troubling centerpiece of James Vanderbilt’s ambitious film devoted to the trial of the major Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg in 1945–1946.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Also included is a 13% increase in funding for the Department of Justice to focus on violent criminals and a $481 million increase in funding to enhance aviation safety and support an air traffic controller hiring surge.—
LISA MASCARO,
Arkansas Online,
4 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 6 Apr. 2026.
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