noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of defendant
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English defendaunt, from Anglo-French ( Middle French, Old French defendant ). See defend, -ant
Explanation
In court, the person who gets sued or accused is called a defendant — they have to defend their innocence or reputation. One thing no one wants to be is a defendant: that means someone sued you, which could cost you a boatload of money. Other defendants are accused of crimes, which is even worse, because you could end up in jail. Turn on any TV show about lawyers, and you'll see some of them defending the defendant, and others trying to convict the defendant. Defendants are definitely on the defensive.
Vocabulary lists containing defendant
Monster
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 6
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Excerpts from "Jacobson v. Massachusetts"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Upon information and belief, Defendant Rambo kept those funds for personal use,” according to the lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2025
He says in, straightforward and simple prose, that“the Defendant has been found guilty on 34 felony counts…by a unanimous jury of Defendant's peers, after trial.”
From Salon • Jan. 7, 2025
"Defendant does not claim to have reviewed the records he seeks, their sources, or their conclusions before or during the time period of his indicted conduct," Chutkan wrote.
From Salon • Oct. 16, 2024
Then, in 2022, “Plaintiff reached out directly to Defendant via email, text, and Instagram, sharing a specific book concept with Defendant, about a cat who flies to Mars, re-opening prior discussions,” the complaint said.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024
“No evidence was presented to the court that indicates Defendant felt like he was not free to leave.”
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
