public defender

American  

noun

1. a lawyer appointed or elected by a city or county as a full-time, official defender to represent indigents in criminal cases at public expense.

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public defender British  

noun

1. (in the US) a lawyer engaged at public expense to represent indigent defendants

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public defender Cultural  

1. An attorney who is appointed and paid by a court to defend poor persons who cannot afford a lawyer.

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Etymology

Origin of public defender

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Natali Ray’s children say they learned of their mom’s November 19 arrest at L’Auberge Provençale when a Virginia public defender called.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

A deputy public defender since 1998, Tryfman has had assignments countywide.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

In a decade as a public defender, he’s handled more than 1,000 adult and hundreds of juvenile cases.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Federal public defender Tezira Abe stressed that Allen was presumed innocent and said he had no prior arrests or convictions on his record.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

When told I'd better hire a good attorney, I ask them to give me a public defender, whoever's available—it makes no difference to me.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris