de·fen·dant
di-ˈfen-dənt 
in legal circles often
-ˌdant
law
: a person or group against whom a criminal or civil action is brought : someone who is being sued or accused of committing a crime
if the jury finds the defendant not guilty
compare plaintiff
Examples of defendant in a Sentence
Noun
The jury believed that the defendant was guilty.
Recent Examples on the Web
Benjamin Weiser, New York Times, 30 May 2024
Most defendants were denied bail since their arrests three years ago.
—Siuming Ho / Bloomberg, TIME, 30 May 2024
John Lynch, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2023
The trial of Oath Keeper leader Stewart Rhodes and his associates late last year was a similarly complex, multi-defendant trial.
—Quinn Owen, ABC News, 23 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for defendant 
Noun
Paul Shechtman, a longtime New York defense lawyer who lectures at Yale Law School, said that unless there is evidence in a case pointing strongly toward a defendant’s spouse, a jury is unlikely to be sympathetic to an attempt to shift blame.
—Benjamin Weiser, New York Times, 30 May 2024
Most defendants were denied bail since their arrests three years ago.
—Siuming Ho / Bloomberg, TIME, 30 May 2024
Adjective
Parker's co-defendant, 26-year-old George Jealvontia Henderson of West Memphis, was given immunity from the charges in exchange for cooperating with then-prosecutor Scott Ellington, who was the 2nd Judicial District elected prosecuting attorney at the time.
—John Lynch, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2023
The trial of Oath Keeper leader Stewart Rhodes and his associates late last year was a similarly complex, multi-defendant trial.
—Quinn Owen, ABC News, 23 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for defendant
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defendant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near defendant
Cite this Entry
“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defendant. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
defendant
noun
de·fen·dant
di-ˈfen-dənt, -ˌdant
: the party against whom a criminal or civil action is brought see also answer, codefendant compare accused, plaintiff
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share