Skip to main content
defendant

defendant

802 3.7
A person or organization that someone accuses in a court case
  • noun
  • /dɪˈfɛndənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : acusado
  • Detective Ravine, at the time of the arrest, did you read the defendant his Miranda rights?
  • a criminal defendant
  • charge the defendant
  • convict the defendant

Troy, honey, we know the defendant is Donald Trump.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • When a defendant has no lawyer, the court will assign one to him.

  • Therefore, the defendant will not be held to answer to these charges at trial.

  • We find the defendant not guilty.

  • The court agreed with the defendant and held that no contract was formed.

  • We, the jury, find the defendant guilty as charged.

  • If the defendant could please rise.

  • The police then arrested and charged the defendant with five counts of possession of stolen property.

    Academic text (1990)
  • We, the jury, find the defendant Bernie Tiede, guilty of murder as charged.

  • Eyewitnesses for the prosecution testified that they saw the defendant, wearing a dark wool coat, enter the victim's apartment.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The jury deliberated for several hours before finding the defendant not guilty.

Synonyms

litigant
vsdefendant
  • Specialized
9 7.7

A party in a court case who sues or is sued

refers specifically to the party being sued rather than any lawsuit participant
accused
vsdefendant
2 3.6

A person officially charged with a crime in court

applies more broadly to someone sued or charged in any legal action

Antonyms

plaintiff
  • Formal
431 7.5

A person who brings a case against someone in court

Compounds

co-defendant
  • Specialized
6.3

A person accused in the same court case as another person

Surface Forms

defendant singular
defendants plural

Morphology

defendant = defend (semi-transparent) = defend + ant

Formed from the verb 'defend' plus the agentive suffix '-ant', but the modern legal sense 'the person accused or sued' is a specialized/legalized usage that is not fully predictable for average learners.

Etymology

Defendant comes from the verb defend, from the old Latin defendere meaning 'to push away' or 'protect'. So, a defendant is literally someone who must 'defend' themself in court against a charge.