acquitted

American  

[uh-kwit-id] / əˈkwɪt ɪd /

adjective

1. having been declared not guilty of a crime.

   The mayor extended condolences to the victim’s family, but also expressed empathy for the acquitted officers.

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noun

1. Usually the acquitted a person or persons who have been declared not guilty of a crime.

   None of the acquitted received any kind of compensation or redress.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of acquit.

Other Word Forms

• unacquitted
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of acquitted

acquit + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

An acquitted defendant is off the hook. If you're on trial for a crime and you're found "not guilty," then you're acquitted and you can go free. When you have been labeled acquitted, that means the jury has found you not guilty of the crime and legally blameless. The word gained notoriety in the highly publicized 1995 trial of the former football star O. J. Simpson, accused of murdering his wife and her friend. Simpson’s attorney’s mantra to the jury was "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit," referring to a glove connected to the murder.

Example Sentences

Netflix is dropping a three-part docuseries that revisits Michael Jackson’s 2005 trial in which he was acquitted on charges of child molestation.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

The jury acquitted him of more serious charges that carried a possible life sentence.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

It was used in closing speeches of four people who pulled down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol in June 2020 - all four defendants were acquitted despite admitting their involvement.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

He told me he had been annoyed at the No Kings protesters blocking traffic, but he was glad Gamble had been acquitted.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

That’s what the jury in the Diallo trial concluded, and Boss, Carroll, McMellon, and Murphy were all acquitted of murder charges.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell