acquit
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to relieve from a charge of fault or crime; declare not guilty.
They acquitted him of the crime. The jury acquitted her, but I still think she's guilty.
- Antonyms:
- convict
-
to release or discharge (a person) from an obligation.
- Synonyms:
- free
-
to settle or satisfy (a debt, obligation, claim, etc.).
-
to bear or conduct (oneself); behave.
He acquitted himself well in battle.
-
to free or clear (oneself).
He acquitted himself of suspicion.
verb
-
(foll by of)
-
to free or release (from a charge of crime)
-
to pronounce not guilty
-
-
(foll by of) to free or relieve (from an obligation, duty, responsibility, etc)
-
to repay or settle (something, such as a debt or obligation)
-
to perform (one's part); conduct (oneself)
Synonym Usage
See absolve.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
acquitsimple
-
acquitssimple
-
have acquittedperfect
-
has acquittedperfect
-
am acquittingprogressive
-
are acquittingprogressive
-
is acquittingprogressive
-
have been acquittingperfect progressive
-
has been acquittingperfect progressive
Past
-
acquittedsimple
-
had acquittedperfect
-
was acquittingprogressive
-
were acquittingprogressive
-
had been acquittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of acquit
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English aquiten, from Anglo-French, Old French (ac)quiter, derivative, with a(c)- “toward” ( see ac-), from quite “free of obligations,” from Medieval Latin quit(t)us, Latin quiētus ( see quiet); cf. quit 1
Explanation
To acquit someone is to clear them of charges. Acquitting also has to do with how you carry or present yourself. If you're accused of a crime, then the best thing that can happen to you is being acquitted — that means you were cleared or exonerated of the charges. A defense lawyer wants to have his client acquitted. But watch out for another unrelated meaning: acquitting can mean how you behave, conduct, or carry yourself. If you acquit yourself like a champion, then you're acting like a champion.
Vocabulary lists containing acquit
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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And Then There Were None
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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.
See Examples For:
"We expect the court to acquit Ms Esfandiari," her lawyer Nabil Boudi told AFP before Thursday's ruling.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
The jury took about an hour to acquit Ramos-Brito on misdemeanor assault charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2025
According to a court reporter’s transcript of the hearing, Judge Arun Subramanian, who decided the case, argued that “juries don’t acquit defendants of conduct. They acquit them of charges.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
Angela Paxton attended her husband’s trial but was not allowed to vote on any issues or participate on deliberations over whether to convict or acquit.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2025
Emma was very willing now to acquit her of having seduced Mr. Dixon’s actions from his wife, or of any thing mischievous which her imagination had suggested at first.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Pitt, who gets to pour out everything Mike is feeling, acquits this imbalance well enough, but in any drama worth its coulda-been-a-contender salt, he shouldn’t have to.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
Typically, a jury acquits because the prosecution has failed to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2024
Yaeger acquits himself quite well, playing a not-too-bright cop who is caught between Reynold’s cult-like stranglehold on the town and his own need for self-preservation.
From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2024
She acquits herself well, telling a story of persistence and courage that's laced with dry self-awareness and humour.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2023
Thereupon Athene as president of the jury casts her vote in favor of Orestes and acquits him.
From The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State by Engels, Friedrich
His attorneys have since appealed both the convictions and the sentence, arguing the judge improperly relied on allegations connected to charges for which he was acquitted when determining his punishment.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
In the unlikely event she is acquitted, she will equally clearly be in the race.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
In recent presidential elections, the court acquitted itself pretty well.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
The 93-year-old Austrian-Canadian billionaire was acquitted of three other charges involving a third woman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The other two were acquitted of all charges.
From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell
Middleton was reportedly one of several senators considering voting to convict Paxton, although he ultimately joined the majority in acquitting him.
From Salon ● May 23, 2026
Garcia's opportunities have been limited this season despite acquitting himself well in the United States and he proved himself again.
From Barron's ● Jan. 4, 2026
Trial juries engage in nullification much more frequently, acquitting a defendant because they believe the prosecution to be unjust.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2025
A panel of 12 jurors deliberated for 13 hours before acquitting Combs of three of the most serious five charges he was facing.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2025
As for Mambrino's helmet, the priest, unknown to Don Quixote, paid the barber eight reals, for which he received a discharge in full, acquitting him of all fraud thenceforth and for evermore.
From The History of Don Quixote de la Mancha by Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de
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.
