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

In all three states, a defendant arguing self-defense must show that they were responding to a reasonable fear of imminent danger to justify the shooting.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

Meta is named first as the defendant in most of these complaints, but every social media app of note is included in at least one of the cases.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Raudnitz said: "I'm instructed now in the clearest of clear terms the defendant would like to express through me his sincere apologies."

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Meanwhile, jurors in Los Angeles have sent questions to the court signaling they are deciding over damages for one defendant and potentially deadlocked on liability for the other.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent, but we’re just gambling on probabilities.

From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose

Related Words

• litigant
• offender
• prisoner
• suspect