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.
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Recent Examples of defendants
The declaration also names the FBI, the DOJ, and the Executive Office of the President as defendants.
—
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025
But with a majority already secured, Bolsonaro and his co-defendants — including three former generals and the former head of the navy — are on track to be convicted, and could face up to 40 years in prison.
—Júlia Dias Carneiro, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Bolsonaro and other defendants in the trial had denied wrongdoing.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
In 2022 several indigent defendants lacking timely appointment of counsel filed a lawsuit against Wisconsin’s State Public Defender office, claiming an ongoing pattern of delays in appointing a public defender for open criminal cases around the state.
—Margaret Shreiner, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The defendants have moved to dismiss the claims, but the case is ongoing.
—Zach Everson, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The three defendants were arrested in May 2024.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Both Olivet University and Great Commission University were named as defendants by 8Fig.
—Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Local Black leaders had called for Tchervinski and any other White people involved to face similar charges as the Black defendants.
—Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Sep. 2025
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2025
But with a majority already secured, Bolsonaro and his co-defendants — including three former generals and the former head of the navy — are on track to be convicted, and could face up to 40 years in prison.
—Júlia Dias Carneiro, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Bolsonaro and other defendants in the trial had denied wrongdoing.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
In 2022 several indigent defendants lacking timely appointment of counsel filed a lawsuit against Wisconsin’s State Public Defender office, claiming an ongoing pattern of delays in appointing a public defender for open criminal cases around the state.
—Margaret Shreiner, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The defendants have moved to dismiss the claims, but the case is ongoing.
—Zach Everson, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The three defendants were arrested in May 2024.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Both Olivet University and Great Commission University were named as defendants by 8Fig.
—Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Local Black leaders had called for Tchervinski and any other White people involved to face similar charges as the Black defendants.
—Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendants
Noun
-
Biden’s autopen signature was used to issue major clemency orders in the final two months of his term that affected more than 4,000 individuals, including drug offenders and those placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Sep. 2025
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Produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment, Law & Order examines the criminal justice system and tells the stories of the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Our research suggests that the vast majority of Republican voters want to close loopholes that allow criminals and dangerous people to get their hands on guns.—
Gabby Giffords,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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The days of letting dangerous criminals terrorize American citizens are over.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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One of the suspects was found guilty of first-degree murder in June 2021, among a list of other charges, while the other suspect pleaded guilty in early 2020 to 17 counts, including murder charges.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defendants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendants. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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