acquittal

noun

ac·​quit·​tal ə-ˈkwi-tᵊl 

: a setting free from the charge of an offense by verdict, sentence, or other legal process

Synonyms

• clearing
• exculpation
• exoneration
• vindication

Examples of acquittal in a Sentence

The case resulted in acquittal of the defendant.

Several jurors voted for acquittal.

The case resulted in an acquittal of the defendant.

Recent Examples on the Web

But police hiring picked back up during the height of the war on drugs in the 1980s and again after another inflection point, the unrest that followed the acquittal of four LAPD officers in the 1991 beating of Black motorist Rodney King. —Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025

In 2019, before the acquittal, Mr. Trump pressed Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia to name Mr. Collins to the Senate seat vacated by Johnny Isakson. —Noah Weiland, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025

Penny was acquitted back in December and the acquittal was divisive. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025

Collingwood said controversy over sanctuary cities largely began under Trump’s first presidency and his outrage at the acquittal of an undocumented immigrant who shot and killed a woman in San Francisco. —Mathew Miranda, Sacramento Bee, 12 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acquitaille, acquytall "release, discharge, conduct," borrowed from Anglo-French acquitel, acquitaill, from aquiter "to acquit" + -el, -aill -al entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

acquittal

noun

ac·​quit·​tal ə-ˈkwit-ᵊl 

: the freeing (as by verdict) of a person from the charge of a crime

Legal Definition

acquittal

noun

ac·​quit·​tal ə-ˈkwit-ᵊl 

1

: release or discharge from debt or other liability

2

: a setting free or deliverance from the charge of an offense by verdict of a jury, judgment of a court, or other legal process see also implied acquittal, judgment of acquittal at judgment sense 1a compare conviction