defendant
Other forms: defendants
In court, the person who gets sued or accused is called a defendant — they have to defend their innocence or reputation.
One thing no one wants to be is a defendant: that means someone sued you, which could cost you a boatload of money. Other defendants are accused of crimes, which is even worse, because you could end up in jail. Turn on any TV show about lawyers, and you'll see some of them defending the defendant, and others trying to convict the defendant. Defendants are definitely on the defensive.
-
a person or institution against whom an action is brought in a court of law; the person being sued or accused
-
synonyms:
suspect
-
Antonyms:
-
complainant, plaintiff
a person who brings an action in a court of law
-
types:
- show 4 types...
- hide 4 types...
-
accused
a defendant in a criminal proceeding
-
co-defendant, codefendant
a defendant who has been joined together with one or more other defendants in a single action
-
co-respondent, corespondent
the codefendant charged with adultery with the estranged spouse in a divorce proceeding
-
respondent
the codefendant (especially in a divorce proceeding) who is accused of adultery with the corespondent
-
complainant, plaintiff
/dɪˈfɛndɪnt/
/dɪˈfɛndɛnt/
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Vocabulary lists containing defendant
"I before E except after C." It's weird how often spelling rules like that don't work in English! Instead of spending countless hours learning a ton of spelling rules and hundreds of exceptions, choose the Spelling Bee activity to brush up on these commonly misspelled English words. It's an ingenious way for you to become a spelling genius! Here are links to our lists in the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6
Based on a true story, this novel follows an eleven-year-old Iraqi boy and his family as they endure turmoil and violence during the 1991 Gulf War.
Look up defendant for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
