Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Law The party against which an action is brought.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Defensive; proper for defense.
- In law, making defense; being in the attitude of a defendant: as, the party defendant.
- n. One who defends against an assailant, or against the approach of evil or danger; a defender.
- n. In law, a party sued in a court of law, whether in a civil or a criminal proceeding; one who is summoned into court, that he may have opportunity to defend, deny, or oppose the demand or charge, and maintain his own right.
Wiktionary
- n. law In civil proceedings, the party responding to the complaint; one who is sued and called upon to make satisfaction for a wrong complained of by another.
- n. law In criminal proceedings, the accused.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. obsolete Serving, or suitable, for defense; defensive.
- adj. Making defense.
- n. One who defends; a defender.
- n. (Law) A person required to make answer in an action or suit; -- opposed to
plaintiff .
WordNet 3.0
- n. a person or institution against whom an action is brought in a court of law; the person being sued or accused
Etymologies
- From defend + -ant (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Does it change the analysis if a defendant is already properly legally charged and therefore already facing all the consequences of prosecution, as happens in all deferreds?”
“When the defendant and the victim arrived in Orange County, the defendant is accused of buying a boat and convincing the victim to sail to San Clemente Island to meet with ‘federal agents.’”
“So far the FDIC, which, according to Bloomberg, doesn't sue unless it believes the defendant is able to pay up, has only filed one lawsuit related to the credit crisis, against IndyMac executives in July.”
The Huffington Post: FDIC Ready To Sue Executives From Failed Banks
“Especially when the defendant is an American citizen and his speech was published primarily within the United States, the entire logic of a First Amendment limit on libel would be eviscerated if plaintiffs could sue in London and then recover damages in the United States.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Nonrecognition of Foreign Libel Judgments
“In Developer's Trial, E-Mail Note Cites an Obama Role" (Catrin Einhorn, New York Times) An e-mail message made public in the Rezko trial raised the possibility that Obama was involved in a state health planning board that the defendant is accused of improperly influencing.”
“If the jury feels that the law under which the defendant is accused, is unjust, or that exigent circumstances justified the actions of the accused, or for any reason which appeals to their logic of passion, the jury has the power to acquit, and the courts must abide by that decision.”
“The judges in this country should throw out any case in which the defendant is accused of violating an unconstitutional law.”
“When you have four eyewitnesses that testify to someone under oath, you know what they call a defendant after that?" he asked.”
“A defendant is free to accept or reject a proffered plea agreement, and an agreement whereby a defendant agrees to waive First Amendment rights as a condition of receiving an alternative sentence is not invalid solely for that reason.”
“We believe that the distinction drawn by defendant is a wholly artificial one.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Stalking Victims’ Duty to Warn Employees, Lovers, Visitors, and Others?
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘defendant’.
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Dramatic Nouns
Nouns to be used as descriptions while writing stories
night owl, early bird, hedonist, ascetic, derelict, explorer, radical, pity friend, cupid, truant, caretaker, guardian and 120 more...
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JURI - general terms
applicable law, citations, class actions, collecting society, conflict of laws, contractual oblig..., corroborative evi..., counterparty risk, enforceable nature, enforcement checks, enforcement, escape clause and 108 more...
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EN - eloquence in public speaking
Key words from "The Training of a Public Speaker" by Grenville Kleiser (New York and London, 1920)
beget, imago, Vespasian, languid, studied, judgment, dwindle, artifice, contribute, observe, sonorous, gladiator and 264 more...
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JURI - courtroom speak
Legal glossary with special focus on courtroom vocabulary
accused, acquittal, ADA, adjournment, adjudication, affidavit, affirmed, aggravated range, aggravating factors, allegation, alleged, answer and 794 more...
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The story of a little ant
adamant, coolant, consonant, depressant, assailant, assistant, assonant, pant, rant, abundant, volant, anticipant and 7 more...
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Law
common law, defense, plea, defendant, plaintiff, argument, law, grant, subpoena, tarnish, estoppel, replevin and 5 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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logos's list
A poor pathetic thing, but mine own.
invidious, lugubriousness, vilify, noisome, synastry, front and center, declension, conjugation, regnal, diphthong, circumlocution, bishopric and 141 more...
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Basic English Vocabulary
Very basic words for ESL students.
contemplate, container, consumer, consultant, consensus, conscious, conscience, connection, confusion, confront, conflict, confident and 4334 more...
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Social
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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barfi
turpentine, cognate, connotation, denotation, bias, unflinching, emptive, mob, amnesty, modestly, spear, incline and 150 more...
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2007bee-r02
2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee Round 2
query, tendency, danceable, parachute, malignant, brutal, humanely, lyrically, deductible, shindig, gravel, embroidered and 274 more...
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MEC1 Lesson 115
aid, attourney, bachelor, blast, brawl, claim, county, crime-ridden, defendant, deny, despite, directory and 29 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for defendant.
ruzuzu It wasn't the ant's fault! Dec 25, 2009