public defender

noun

Definition of public defendernext
as in district attorney

Related Words

Relevance

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 public defender Jackson withdrew from his legal defense in January, and Reiner was later assigned a public defender. — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2026 In June, Reiner, who is currently represented by a public defender, filed a probate petition seeking to use some of the trust to hire a private lawyer. — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026 Fox News Digital has reached out to Glowacz's public defender for comment. — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026 He is being represented by a federal public defender, who did not immediately respond to the Miami Herald’s request for comments. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for public defender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public defender
  1. district attorney
  2. trial lawyer
  3. criminal lawyer
  4. prosecuting attorney
  5. prosecutor
Noun
  • Molly Smith, spokesperson for the Riverside County district attorney’s office, said Miller completed the diversion program and had the charges dropped on July 31.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Release requires consensus among the police chief or a designee, the district attorney’s office, city management and a public safety attorney.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of district attorney
Noun
  • According to a trial lawyer who spoke to Rolling Stone, grand juries are sometimes convened in Los Angeles in order to protect celebrity witnesses from the spectacle of a public hearing.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Pahlmeyer is named for Jayson Pahlmeyer, a former trial lawyer who founded his eponymous winery in 1981.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 17 July 2026
Definition of trial lawyer
Noun
  • Heather told me that a criminal lawyer advised her to invoke her Fifth Amendment privilege at the Holbrook trial.
    — Nikki Battiste, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Just as extraordinary was that Friedmann, who knew as much about criminal law as many criminal lawyers do, appeared to have designed the plot precisely to confound prosecutors.
    — James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Definition of criminal lawyer
Noun
  • McDonough plays the assistant attorney general and prosecuting attorney, a man of integrity who profoundly believes in the criminal justice system.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The prosecuting attorney's office said the teen wasn't charged with murder in the July 29 filings because the investigation is still ongoing.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 30 July 2026
Definition of prosecuting attorney
Noun
  • Fernandes says teaming up with federal prosecutors to bring harsher federal drug charges has helped bring down the number of drug dealers in the park.
    — Jeff Nguyen, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • State prosecutors have accused Mangione’s lawyers of trying to get that case thrown out on double jeopardy grounds under New York State law, which says a defendant can’t be tried twice for the same crime.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of prosecutor

Browse Nearby Words

publications
public defender
public defenders
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Public defender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20defender. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on public defender

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about public defender

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All