acquittal

[uh-kwit-l]

noun

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.

acquittal

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

Other Word Forms

• nonacquittal noun
• preacquittal noun
• proacquittal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of acquittal¹

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

Example Sentences

Last week, Combs' lawyers asked the judge to consider an acquittal or new trial, citing objections over the Mann Act.

From BBC

If the court declines to grant an acquittal, his attorneys argued that a new trial is required due to "severe spillover prejudice from reams of inflammatory evidence".

From BBC

At the start of a criminal trial, jurors are told that there are two acquittal verdicts - but it is not explained how they differ.

From BBC

He used the grounds as a backdrop for negotiating the 1994 accord between Israel and Jordan, and he addressed the press there in 1999 after his acquittal by the Senate on impeachment charges.

From Salon

His friends and political allies have wanted his public reputation restored since his acquittal in 2020.

From BBC