acquittal

American  

[uh-kwit-l] / əˈkwɪt l /

noun

• acquittals
  plural

1. the act of acquitting; discharge.

2. the state of being acquitted; release.

3. the discharge or settlement of a debt, obligation, etc.

4. Law. judicial deliverance from a criminal charge on a verdict or finding of not guilty.

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acquittal British  

/ əˈkwɪtəl /

noun

1. criminal law the deliverance and release of a person appearing before a court on a charge of crime, as by a finding of not guilty

2. a discharge or release from an obligation, duty, debt, etc

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acquittal Cultural  

1. The judgment of a court that a person charged with a crime is not guilty.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonacquittal
  noun
• preacquittal
  noun
• proacquittal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• acquittals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of acquittal

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English a(c)quitaille, from Anglo-French; equivalent to acquit + -al ²

Explanation

Acquittal is a legal word that defendants love to hear because it means "not guilty." In the 15th Century, an acquittal referred to the payment of a debt, but now it means being freed of charges against you in court. In fact, now the word is really used only in a legal sense. It's from the Latin ad "to" plus quitare meaning "set free." Getting an acquittal is still like being set free. Free to do what you want, any old time! So now the only time you'll need the word is in court, and it's one word you hope to hear if you've been busted.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acquittal acquittals

Judge Ofir Tishler said that although Schrieber had attacked the nun, he was ordering his acquittal due to his mental health.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Once Elle has succeeded at everything, including winning an acquittal for a sorority sister accused of murder, Warner reappears and hands her the declaration of love she originally wanted when she followed him to Harvard.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026

Fuhrman’s involvement in the case was likely a “substantial factor” in Simpson’s acquittal, Douglas said, adding that the detective’s family was “suffering from his loss.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Dennis Coronacion, chair of the political science department at Manila's University of Santo Tomas, told AFP before Cayetano's election he believed an acquittal was "highly possible" given the Senate's new makeup.

From Barron's ● May 11, 2026

Kelsie Morrison had earlier told agents that Hale was certain that “money will buy the protection or acquittal of any man for any crime in Osage County.”

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Unlike Simpson’s case, which ended in acquittals, the kidnapping attracted a new generation of amateur sleuths, livestreaming hours of content, conjecture and rumor each day to hundreds of thousands of online followers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

The PPS said it recognised the "acquittals will be deeply disappointing to Lyra's family and loved ones".

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

She appealed the verdict in the hope of clearing her name, while prosecutors also did so arguing that the sentence was too lenient and the acquittals were wrongful.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

His office has taken two defendants in misdemeanor assault cases to trial, but both ended in acquittals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025

The juries may be whimsical in their decisions, they may be lenient in their acquittals or over-rigid in their verdicts of guilty, but that is quite in keeping with the democratic spirit of the institution.

From Psychology and Social Sanity by Hugo Münsterberg