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acquit

[ uh-kwit ]

/ əˈkwɪt /

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See synonyms for: acquit / acquitted on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ac·quit·ted, ac·quit·ting.

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.

to release or discharge (a person) from an obligation.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR acquit

1 exculpate, exonerate, vindicate.

2 free.

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OPPOSITES FOR acquit

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VIDEO FOR ACQUIT

What Does "Acquit" Actually Mean?

Armchair lawyers and judges will remember this phrase from the 90s: If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit! But, what does "acquit" actually mean?

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QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

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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. quit¹

synonym study for acquit

1. See absolve.

OTHER WORDS FROM acquit

ac·quit·ter, nounpre·ac·quit, verb (used with object), pre·ac·quit·ted, pre·ac·quit·ting.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH acquit

acquitted , innocent, nolo contendere

Words nearby acquit

acquirement, acquis communautaire, acquisition, acquisition accounting, acquisitive, acquit, acquittal, acquittance, acquitted, acr-, acral

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use acquit in a sentence

Most Republican senators have plainly decided to acquit the ex-president no matter what.
Stop trying to save the GOP. It’s hopeless.|Jennifer Rubin|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Webster was charged with second-degree felony assault but acquitted.
The first state to pass a law protecting police accused of misconduct may also be the first to repeal it.|Ovetta Wiggins|February 9, 2021|Washington Post
Chances for a conviction are low, as a majority of GOP senators have already indicated that they intend to acquit the former president.
House to vote on removing GOP’s Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committees|Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner, Colby Itkowitz|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
Of course, there won’t be a conviction if middle-of-the-road Republicans such as Portman vote to acquit.
Rob Portman has done more damage to America than Marjorie Taylor Greene|Max Boot|February 1, 2021|Washington Post

On May 16, to the surprise of many, the Senate acquitted Johnson by one vote.
The war secretary who barricaded himself in his office during an impeachment trial|Ronald G. Shafer|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
Both trials ended in mistrials, with all of the white jurors voting to convict and all of the black jurors voting to acquit.
Curtis Flowers: Mississippi's Marked Man|Paul Alexander|June 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She and many others believed that Tuesday, when the court ruled to acquit all 13 defendants, was that day.
Argentina Erupts Over Acquittal in Marita Verón Case|Scott C. Johnson|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But based on the testimony, the evidence and the language of the law, it would have been hard for me to vote to acquit.
If Porn Isn’t Art, Does It Still Have a Right to Exist?|Michael Stabile|May 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And it shows they were almost unanimously inclined to acquit right from jump.
Casey Jury Brainwash|Marcia Clark|July 8, 2011|DAILY BEAST
In March of this year, a jury here took just 45 minutes to acquit Tiller of charges that he performed 19 illegal abortions.
A Murder in Wichita|Joe Stumpe|June 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST
I will tell you later what from the bottom of my heart I wish you to do to acquit the debt we shall contract towards him.
Chicot the Jester|Alexandre Dumas, Pere
Curiosity to see how she would acquit herself under the circumstances ran high.
Yachting Vol. 2|Various.
Yet, knowing how to make the most of their limited stock of knowledge, they acquit themselves well in conversation.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
But, more quickly than he had thought of charging her with this—(he was only an ordinary young man)—he had to acquit her again.
Mushroom Town|Oliver Onions
I did, but that isn't evidence that will acquit him in court of being a road agent.
The Highgrader|William MacLeod Raine

British Dictionary definitions for acquit

acquit

/ (əˈkwɪt) /

verb -quits, -quitting or -quitted (tr)

(foll by of)

to free or release (from a charge of crime)
to pronounce not guilty

(foll by of) to free or relieve (from an obligation, duty, responsibility, etc)

to repay or settle (something, such as a debt or obligation)

to perform (one's part); conduct (oneself)

Derived forms of acquit

acquitter, noun

Word Origin for acquit

C13: from Old French aquiter, from quiter to release, free from, quit

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012