DEFENDANTS Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

defendants

noun

plural of defendant

as in offenders

a person who is being sued or accused of a crime in a court of law The jury believed that the defendant was guilty.

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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.

Recent Examples of defendants After the hearing, Ng told reporters that the defendants would appeal to the city's top court. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 The other defendants — singer Denise Ho, scholar Hui Po Keung, and former pro-democracy lawmakers Margaret Ng and Cyd Ho — also served as trustees. — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Until recently in Louisiana’s Western District, petitioners had to formally deliver the lawsuit and summons to government defendants in person and through certified mail. — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026 Unlike his co-defendants, Abbatiello was initially denied bail, and he has since been held at the Centre County Correctional Facility in Bellefonte. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026 The complaint names Clark and Johanna Morgan and South Chicago Chapel as defendants, alongside the facility’s owner and contract buyer. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026 The defendants’ decision not to question a witness did not amount to carrying out the agreements, the government argued, because the agreements did not require that action and the defendants had not withdrawn their pending motions. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026 Under Schrama's 11-page order, Mohammed and three co-defendants — Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin 'Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali — will stand trial starting on June 5, 2028. — Steve Gorman, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Montana AG Austin Knudsen filed a motion with the Supreme Court seeking to have the antitrust suit thrown out, naming California and the 11 other states party to the Paramount lawsuit as defendants. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defendants

Noun

Hisbah members also face widespread allegations of rights abuses in their enforcement operations, including subjecting offenders to dehumanizing punishments such as public beatings or shaming.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Its recent report says organized crime groups are increasingly involved in cultural-property theft, with offenders using tools like explosives and firearms.

— George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of offenders

Noun

Two suspects hit several businesses in the Fairfax District early Tuesday morning, with one suspect in police custody.

— Julie Sharp, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Deem fired his weapon at the suspects, but no injuries were reported, and the disturbance suspect has not been apprehended.

— Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 25 Nov. 2025

Definition of suspects

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“Defendants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defendants. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of defendants

noun

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