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
-
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(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
-
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:
As the couple’s children, Stella and Convery acquit themselves well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
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 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
Typically, a jury acquits because the prosecution has failed to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2024
Yaeger acquits himself quite well, playing a not-too-bright cop who is caught between Reynold’s cult-like stranglehold on the town and his own need for self-preservation.
From Salon ● Jan. 19, 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
Conscience is only too often a lenient judge who acquits the individual too easily and nearly always admits extenuating circumstances.
From Morals and the Evolution of Man by Max Simon Nordau
He was initially acquitted in February 2020 but within hours was rearrested on new charges of being part of a failed military coup in 2016.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 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
“Both have really acquitted themselves well,” Harbaugh said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The sister of the woman Knox was acquitted of murdering has objected to the show that is due to be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
But amazingly, after a lengthy investigation was held, the players were acquitted.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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
Trial juries engage in nullification much more frequently, acquitting a defendant because they believe the prosecution to be unjust.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 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 order, therefore, to avert the misfortune of acquitting those who could not be brought to confess, it became necessary to invent a new crime—that known as “suspicion of heresy.”
From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume I by Henry Charles Lea
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.
