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Defendant in a Sentence Definition

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defendant

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

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

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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.


noun

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

adjective

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Origin of defendant

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English defendaunt, from Anglo-French (Middle French, Old French defendant ). See defend, -ant

OTHER WORDS FROM defendant

non·de·fend·ant, noun un·de·fend·ant, adjective

Words nearby defendant

defederalize, defence, defence in depth, defence mechanism, defend, defendant, defender, defender of the bond, Defender of the Faith, defenestrate, defenestration

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use defendant in a sentence

  • The defendants, wearing helmets, vests and tactical gear marked with fluorescent orange tape, "appeared to gesture and communicate to one another" to coordinate efforts during and after forcing entry to the Capitol, the FBI alleged.

  • Webster's attorney, Kevin Karpinski, and attorneys for the other defendants did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

  • It will certainly be interesting to see how the defendants frame their responses.

  • "It appears the defendant does not believe in the rule of law and is a threat to people in the Capitol building," the judge said.

  • Essentially, the defendant was radicalized to the point where he wanted to act out, it wasn't talk.

  • "Defendant moved his hands in a manner so as to avoid the application of handcuffs to his wrists," the complaint says.

  • The complaint continues, "During this period of time, defendant escaped police custody."

  • They obtained a gag order against the defendant and his lawyers restricting what they could say about the case for several months.

  • "He might want 50 of this size and 40 of these," said Crowder, who has been named as a defendant in dozens of lawsuits.

  • "The defendant told me he did not want to go back so jail," the affidavit says.

  • In a trial in the King's Bench, Mr. Erskine, counsel for the defendant, was charged by his opponent with traveling out of his way.

  • He was defendant in the breach of promise suit brought by a notorious London actress, then playing in a popular revue.

  • The commissioners were unanimously of opinion it was a good fifteen-penny copy of the defendant's countenance.

  • It is enough if the defendant induces an ill opinion to be held of the plaintiff, or to make him contemptible or ridiculous.

  • The other defendant, being in good health and not being a ward of the Government, would have to stand committed to jail for trial.

British Dictionary definitions for defendant


noun

a person against whom an action or claim is brought in a court of law Compare 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


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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Defendant in a Sentence Definition

Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/defendant