noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nondefendant noun
- undefendant adjective
Etymology
Origin of defendant
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English defendaunt, from Anglo-French ( Middle French, Old French defendant ). See defend, -ant
Explanation
In court, the person who gets sued or accused is called a defendant — they have to defend their innocence or reputation. One thing no one wants to be is a defendant: that means someone sued you, which could cost you a boatload of money. Other defendants are accused of crimes, which is even worse, because you could end up in jail. Turn on any TV show about lawyers, and you'll see some of them defending the defendant, and others trying to convict the defendant. Defendants are definitely on the defensive.
Vocabulary lists containing defendant
Monster
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 6
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Excerpts from "Jacobson v. Massachusetts"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Abundez, the other defendant, was apprehended in June 2025 at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026
A default judgment is one in which a judge makes a ruling without a trial, for example in cases where the defendant has not provided any response.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Bianco was not a defendant in the lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Maintaining rules against some forms of so-called “character” or “propensity” evidence makes sense when the evidence doesn’t say much about the likelihood the defendant committed the crime at hand.
From Slate • Apr. 22, 2026
After some formalities he asked, “How does the defendant plead?”
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
