DEFENDANT Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

defendant

noun

Definition of defendant

as in offender

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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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 defendant Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson was able to avoid a fine worth $13,611 that was handed down by the NFL through some creative defendant work in an NFL appeals process. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026 The defendants in the lawsuit — Trump, the White House, DHS and the Office of Management and Budget — didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026 All that’s missing are the plaintiff, the defendant and the jurisdiction. — Philip Wang, Time, 7 Oct. 2026 Last Friday, Berg issued an opinion stressing that federal antitrust claims must be brought within four years of when a defendant allegedly committed a wrongful act. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defendant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendant

Noun

Those illicit techniques include attaching a GPS tracker to a car or using cell-tower data to track a potential offender.

— Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
The repeat violent offender that attacked multiple women in Dilworth should have never been on the streets.

— Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of offender

Noun

The Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering watchdog, has warned that criminals exploit citizenship and residency programs to conceal their identities, launder illicit wealth and evade justice.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
The real risk is that a criminal could forge your signature on a deed or trick you into signing paperwork that transfers ownership, then file that document with the local office that maintains property records.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of criminal

Noun

An officer arrested the suspect after spotting him walking alone on a street in Naha's entertainment district late Saturday, Kyodo said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
An officer arrested the suspect after spotting him walking alone on a street in Naha’s entertainment district late Saturday, Kyodo said.

— Mari Yamaguchi, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of suspect

Noun

Others are inclined to rank evils according to the amount of savagery evident in the perpetrator, not to the damage inflicted on the world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
The victim described a perpetrator who was 24 to 25 years old, skinny and clean-shaven, with a clear speaking voice.

— Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of perpetrator

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defendable

defendant

defendants

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“Defendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendant. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of defendant

noun

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