defendant

American  

[dih-fen-duhnt, -dant] / dɪˈfɛn dənt, -dænt /

noun

1. Law. a person, company, etc., against whom a claim or charge is brought in a court (plaintiff ).

2. Obsolete. defender.

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adjective

1. making one's defense; defending.

   a defendant corporation.

2. Obsolete. defensive.

defendant British  

/ dɪˈfɛndənt /

noun

1. a person against whom an action or claim is brought in a court of law Compare plaintiff

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adjective

1. making a defence; defending

defendant Cultural  

1. The party that is being sued in court. (Compare plaintiff.)

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Other Word Forms

• nondefendant noun
• undefendant adjective

Etymology

Origin of defendant

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English defendaunt, from Anglo-French ( Middle French, Old French defendant ). See defend, -ant

Example Sentences

The prosecution said it would appeal, arguing that "the evidence collected clearly established reasonable suspicion against all defendants".

From Barron's

Gorin said that the insanity defense is particularly tough in California, and that in rare cases it must be proved that a defendant did not know right from wrong.

From Los Angeles Times

In the Signal messaging app, the defendants all used a slew of nicknames or aliases, prosecutors said.

From Los Angeles Times

“Without a reasonable basis for doing so and/or with reckless regard to the consequences, defendants failed to pay for the rented costumes and failed to return the costumes undamaged.”

From Los Angeles Times

Also named as defendants are the agency itself and the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• litigant
• offender
• prisoner
• suspect