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defendant

American  
[dih-fen-duhnt, -dant] / dɪˈfɛn dənt, -dænt /

noun

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

  2. Obsolete. defender.

adjective

  1. making one's defense; defending.

    a defendant corporation.

  2. Obsolete. defensive.

defendant British  
/ dɪˈfɛndənt /

noun

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

"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

adjective

  1. 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
defendant Cultural  

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

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

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.

But under cross-examination, Huitzilin admitted no other protesters came to his house after that day, and he never heard from the defendants again.

From Los Angeles Times

Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media that 25 of the 30 defendants named in a newly unsealed indictment had been arrested by federal agents, with "more to come".

From BBC

The suit names the state of Kansas and its attorney general, along with the Division of Vehicles as defendants.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mrs Justice Smyth told the court that all nine defendants still had a case to answer on all the charges.

From BBC

While much of the court proceedings so far have focused on Instagram and Meta, Google's YouTube is also a defendant in the lawsuit.

From BBC

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.