defendant

Meaning

1. 1nouncountablelegal

   The person or organization that is accused in a court case, whether of a crime or of causing harm in a lawsuit.

   Grammar: Countable: the defendant, two defendants.

   Patterns

   • the defendant in a case
   • the defendant pleaded something

   The defendant denied all the charges.

   A company named as a defendant in the lawsuit refused to comment.

   The judge asked the defendant to stand.

Word forms

Common combinations

the defendant pleaded not guilty

The defendant pleaded not guilty to both counts.

defendant's attorney

The defendant's attorney asked for a delay.

name someone as a defendant

The suit names the city as a defendant.

co-defendant

His co-defendant agreed to testify.

defendant in a lawsuit

She was a defendant in a lawsuit over unpaid rent.

Synonyms and how they differ

the accused

The accused is used mainly in criminal cases, and is a general reference, while defendant is the formal court term including civil suits.

respondent

Respondent is used in appeals and some civil cases, while defendant is used for trial courts.

litigant

A litigant is anyone taking part in a lawsuit, either side, while defendant is the one being sued or accused.

Opposites

Word family

defend verb

to protect, or to speak for someone in court

defense noun

the case made for the accused person

defender noun

a person who protects or argues for someone

defensive adjective

used for protection, or quick to feel criticized

Commonly confused: defendant or plaintiff?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “defendant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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