Synonyms of defendants

defendants

noun

plural of defendant

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

• offenders
• criminals
• suspects
• accused
• perpetrators
• culprits
• convicts
• arrestees
• detainees
• accomplices
• principals
• fish
• lawbreakers
• misdemeanants
• crooks
• malefactors
• miscreants
• outlaws
• desperadoes
• jailbirds
• villains
• wrongdoers
• trespassers
• perps
• racketeers
• gangsters
• thugs
• sinners
• mobsters
• hoodlums
• transgressors
• guns
• hooligans
• recidivists
• triggermen
• misdoers
• misfeasors
• evildoers
• gallows birds
• enforcers
• blackhanders
• backsliders
• gunmen
• button men
• gunsels
• hit men
• relapsers
• repeaters

Dissimilar Words

• lawmen
• gangbusters

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of defendants

While those defendants appeared in a Miami federal court on Monday Pierre appeared before Quebec Superior Court Judge Annie Émond. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026

The Federal Defender Program represents defendants who cannot afford a lawyer. — Reed Williams, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 2026

The lead lawyer for Smith, Normani and the other defendants, including Universal Music Group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Rolling Stone. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026

Seaver and his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services, LLC, are the defendants in the lawsuit. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Selzer's attorneys at FIRE and her co-defendants also celebrated the ruling. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, pleaded not guilty to all charges against them. — Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026

In the agreement, Kohberger also waived his ability to appeal, though defendants always retain the right to later assert ineffective assistance of counsel and pursue post-conviction relief in court. — Kevin Fixler september 17, Idaho Statesman, 17 Sep. 2026

The indictment accuses one of the Cuban defendants of communicating with associates involved in the Lithuanian and Czech attacks and booking hotels and travel for them. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026