acquittal

American  

[uh-kwit-l] / əˈkwɪt l /

noun

• acquittals
  plural

1. the act of acquitting; discharge.

2. the state of being acquitted; release.

3. the discharge or settlement of a debt, obligation, etc.

4. Law. judicial deliverance from a criminal charge on a verdict or finding of not guilty.

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acquittal British  

/ əˈkwɪtəl /

noun

1. criminal law the deliverance and release of a person appearing before a court on a charge of crime, as by a finding of not guilty

2. a discharge or release from an obligation, duty, debt, etc

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acquittal Cultural  

1. The judgment of a court that a person charged with a crime is not guilty.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonacquittal
  noun
• preacquittal
  noun
• proacquittal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• acquittals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of acquittal

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English a(c)quitaille, from Anglo-French; equivalent to acquit + -al ²

Explanation

Acquittal is a legal word that defendants love to hear because it means "not guilty." In the 15th Century, an acquittal referred to the payment of a debt, but now it means being freed of charges against you in court. In fact, now the word is really used only in a legal sense. It's from the Latin ad "to" plus quitare meaning "set free." Getting an acquittal is still like being set free. Free to do what you want, any old time! So now the only time you'll need the word is in court, and it's one word you hope to hear if you've been busted.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acquittal acquittals

On Saturday, tens of thousands of people had rallied in Pristina to demand the acquittal of Thaci and other former guerrilla leaders.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

One juror was the holdout, refusing to vote for acquittal.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

Backers say the limits avoid saddling arrestees with a digital scarlet letter that can cause lasting harm in employment and housing even after an acquittal or dismissal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

His acquittal over the Gezi Park protests was overturned in January 2021, and he was sentenced to life in prison in April 2022 - a conviction now declared "null and void" by the ECHR.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

They acquitted Orestes, and with the words of acquittal the spirit of evil which had haunted his house for so long was banished.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Unlike Simpson’s case, which ended in acquittals, the kidnapping attracted a new generation of amateur sleuths, livestreaming hours of content, conjecture and rumor each day to hundreds of thousands of online followers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Both Kocner and Zsuzsova were originally acquitted in 2020 but the Supreme Court reversed their acquittals after finding "several mistakes" in the previous trial.

From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026

Two recent misdemeanor trials against protesters charged with assaulting a federal officer both ended in acquittals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025

But that narrow federal reprieve does not cleanse the stain of the state acquittals.

From Slate ● May 9, 2025

So strong was the popular feeling, that no one once accused of witchcraft was acquitted; at least, acquittals did not average one in a hundred trials.

From Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 2 by Charles Mackay