codefendant

noun

co·​de·​fen·​dant ˌkō-di-ˈfen-dənt How to pronounce codefendant (audio)
 in legal circles often  -ˌdant
variants or co-defendant
plural codefendants or co-defendants
: a defendant in the same lawsuit or criminal prosecution as another defendant or group of defendants : a joint defendant
… the defendant argued that it was plain error for the trial court to have permitted the prosecution to treat his co-defendant as hostile …State v. Saenz, 370 P.3d 1278 (2016)

Examples of codefendant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Trump pardoned Handy, Geraghty and eight of their codefendants: Jonathan Darnel of Virginia; Jay Smith, John Hinshaw and William Goodman, all of New York; Joan Bell of New Jersey; Paulette Harlow and Jean Marshall, both of Massachusetts; and Heather Idoni of Michigan. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025 Attorneys for Trump's former codefendants Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira have sought to extend an order by Judge Aileen Cannon barring the Justice Department from releasing a portion of Smith's report. Robert Legare, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2025 The letter was included in an emergency request filed late Monday with Cannon by lawyers for Trump’s codefendants in the documents case, Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira. Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025 The trial for Williams and five codefendants began in November 2023 and concluded in December 2024. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for codefendant

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of codefendant was in 1641

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Cite this Entry

“Codefendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/codefendant. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

Legal Definition

codefendant

noun
co·​de·​fen·​dant
ˌkō-di-ˈfen-dənt, -ˌdant
: a joint defendant

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