public defender

noun

Synonyms of public defendernext
: a lawyer usually holding public office whose duty is to defend accused persons unable to pay for legal assistance

Examples of public defender in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Shea’s tampering was first revealed publicly during a 2024 trial for a 2010 murder and rape, when public defender Michael Kabakoff asked a testifying DNA expert about the issues. — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026 An area attorney and former chief public defender who was arrested earlier this year on multiple felony drug charges after a raid on his residence was arrested again early Monday on drug and gun charges following a traffic stop. — Steven Mross, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026 Love pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and a public defender representing him did not reply to a request for comment. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026 At Tuesday's arraignment, Hartbower was also assigned a public defender. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for public defender

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of public defender was in 1822

Rhymes for public defender

See All Rhymes for public defender

Browse Nearby Words

public debt
public defender
public domain
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Public defender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20defender. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Legal Definition

public defender

noun
: a lawyer usually holding public office who represents criminal defendants unable to pay for legal assistance

More from Merriam-Webster on public defender

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for public defender

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about public defender

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fervid

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All