defendant

[ dih-fen-duh nt or especially in court for 1, -dant ]

/ dɪˈfɛn dənt or especially in court for 1, -dænt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR defendant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Law. a person, company, etc., against whom a claim or charge is brought in a court (opposed to plaintiff).

Obsolete. defender.

adjective

making one's defense; defending: a defendant corporation.

Obsolete. defensive.

Words nearby defendant

defederalize, defence, defence in depth, defence mechanism, defend, defendant, defender of the bond, defender of the faith, defenestrate, defenestration, defense

Origin of defendant

1275–1325; Middle English defendaunt < Anglo-French (Middle French, Old French defendant). See defend, -ant

OTHER WORDS FROM defendant

non·de·fend·ant, nounun·de·fend·ant, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for defendant

The complaint continues, “During this period of time, defendant escaped police custody.”
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop|Michael Daly|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Defendant moved his hands in a manner so as to avoid the application of handcuffs to his wrists,” the complaint says.
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop|Michael Daly|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They obtained a gag order against the defendant and his lawyers restricting what they could say about the case for several months.
Sentencing Looms for Barrett Brown, Advocate for “Anonymous”|Kevin M. Gallagher|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“He might want 50 of this size and 40 of these,” said Crowder, who has been named as a defendant in dozens of lawsuits.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“The defendant told me he did not want to go back so jail,” the affidavit says.
The Muslim Convert Behind America’s First Workplace Beheading|Michael Daly|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The defendant's whereabouts were unknown to us, your Honor, and the court allowed us to serve notice by publication.
Lightnin'|Frank Bacon
Squire Cleaves, for the defendant, then reviewed the testimony for and against his client.
Freaks of Fortune|Oliver Optic
When the defendant has sold a book twice, having bought it back second-hand, the profits include the profits on both sales.
A Treatise Upon the Law of Copyright in the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the Crown,|E. J. MacGillivray
The mayor having impartially summed up, the jury returned a verdict for the defendant.
Worcestershire in the Nineteenth Century|T. C. Turberville
Mr. Sergeant Talfourd was for plaintiff, and Mr. Sergeant Ludlow for defendant.
Worcestershire in the Nineteenth Century|T. C. Turberville

British Dictionary definitions for defendant

defendant

/ (dɪˈfɛndənt) /

noun

a person against whom an action or claim is brought in a court of lawCompare plaintiff

adjective

making a defence; defending

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

Cultural definitions for defendant

defendant

The party that is being sued in court. (Compare plaintiff.)

defendant

noun

adjective

Words related to defendant

Words nearby defendant

Origin of defendant

OTHER WORDS FROM defendant

Examples from the Web for defendant

British Dictionary definitions for defendant

noun

adjective

Cultural definitions for defendant