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

In eight instances, juries acquitted defendants at trial.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

Tucker and a handful of associates were acquitted, but in the end the company produced only 51 vehicles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Following his trial in 2001 at Norwich Crown Court, he was acquitted by the jury.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Rocky denied all wrongdoing and jumped into a courtroom gallery to hug Rihanna when he was acquitted in February 2025.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

He was acquitted by a jury on May 27, 1920.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield