acquit
Americanverb (used with object)
-
acquits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
acquitted,
past participle, past
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acquitting
present participle
-
to relieve from a charge of fault or crime; declare not guilty.
They acquitted him of the crime. The jury acquitted her, but I still think she's guilty.
- Antonyms:
- convict
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to release or discharge (a person) from an obligation.
- Synonyms:
- free
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to settle or satisfy (a debt, obligation, claim, etc.).
-
to bear or conduct (oneself); behave.
He acquitted himself well in battle.
-
to free or clear (oneself).
He acquitted himself of suspicion.
verb
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(foll by of)
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to free or release (from a charge of crime)
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to pronounce not guilty
-
-
(foll by of) to free or relieve (from an obligation, duty, responsibility, etc)
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to repay or settle (something, such as a debt or obligation)
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to perform (one's part); conduct (oneself)
Synonym Usage
See absolve.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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acquitsimple
-
acquitssimple
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have acquittedperfect
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has acquittedperfect
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am acquittingprogressive
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are acquittingprogressive
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is acquittingprogressive
-
have been acquittingperfect progressive
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has been acquittingperfect progressive
Past
-
acquittedsimple
-
had acquittedperfect
-
was acquittingprogressive
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were acquittingprogressive
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had been acquittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of acquit
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English aquiten, from Anglo-French, Old French (ac)quiter, derivative, with a(c)- “toward” ( see ac-), from quite “free of obligations,” from Medieval Latin quit(t)us, Latin quiētus ( see quiet); cf. quit 1
Explanation
To acquit someone is to clear them of charges. Acquitting also has to do with how you carry or present yourself. If you're accused of a crime, then the best thing that can happen to you is being acquitted — that means you were cleared or exonerated of the charges. A defense lawyer wants to have his client acquitted. But watch out for another unrelated meaning: acquitting can mean how you behave, conduct, or carry yourself. If you acquit yourself like a champion, then you're acting like a champion.
Vocabulary lists containing acquit
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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And Then There Were None
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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.
See Examples For:
The jury declined to comment on what prompted them to acquit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
"We expect the court to acquit Ms Esfandiari," her lawyer Nabil Boudi told AFP before Thursday's ruling.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
The jury took about an hour to acquit Ramos-Brito on misdemeanor assault charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2025
The judge did not grant that application – but the defence continued to present the issues around the soldiers' statements as a major reason why the judge should acquit Soldier F.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2025
Wishing to acquit my honor, I stood firm and handed my musket to Slant, who blinked in soft concern.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
He was asked to write music for a “spiritual Western,” and acquits himself more than respectably.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2025
Typically, a jury acquits because the prosecution has failed to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2024
She acquits herself well, telling a story of persistence and courage that's laced with dry self-awareness and humour.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2023
Osborne acquits himself well on the court, demonstrating skills he learned while playing basketball in college and professionally in Australia.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2023
Absolv′er, one who gives absolution or acquits; Absolv′itor, a decision favourable to a defender.—v.t.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
On Wednesday, Maltese tycoon Yorgen Fenech, who had been accused of masterminding it, was acquitted by a court in Valletta.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
A Maltese court on Wednesday acquitted tycoon Yorgen Fenech of orchestrating the car-bomb killing of investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia, sparking outrage from her family and media freedom advocates.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
The jury acquitted Hanway, forcing the government to dismiss charges against the others it had arrested.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Both have really acquitted themselves well, and the next piece is in the games and how they play,” coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters this week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
A jury eventually convicted all three of battery but acquitted one of the students of the hate-crime charge and deadlocked on the others.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Middleton was reportedly one of several senators considering voting to convict Paxton, although he ultimately joined the majority in acquitting him.
From Salon ● May 23, 2026
Garcia's opportunities have been limited this season despite acquitting himself well in the United States and he proved himself again.
From Barron's ● Jan. 4, 2026
Anyway, the jury came back with a verdict of not guilty, acquitting Sandwich Guy of all charges.
From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2025
As the sound of the "not guilty" rung out in the courtroom for the first time, acquitting Combs of the most severe crime of racketeering, the rapper kept his head low.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2025
In this article Zola denounced the guilty machinations of Dreyfus's adversaries seriatim, blamed the Dreyfus court-martial for convicting on secret evidence and the Esterhazy court for acquitting a guilty man in obedience to orders.
From A History of the Third French Republic by C. H. C. (Charles Henry Conrad) Wright
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.
