How to Use defendant in a Sentence

defendant

1 of 2 noun
  • The jury believed that the defendant was guilty.
  • Sanchez struck the defendant with an open hand or closed fist.
    — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Davis is named as the defendant.
    — Eleanor Dearman updated January 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Spire was named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit.
    — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Each of the defendants entered pleas of not guilty to all of their charges.
    — Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024
  • The defendants have not filed a response in court.
    — Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The defendants face nine to 37 years in prison.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Four other defendants were found not guilty on those counts.
    — Emerson Clarridge updated March 13, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2026
  • The statement adds all defendants face time in prison.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The defendant is the assailant on the video.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Neither defendant asked the judge to set bail.
    — Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich , Brendan McDonald, FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
  • The defendant will serve a lengthy prison sentence.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.
    — Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
  • Iwamasa is set to be the last defendant sentenced in two weeks.
    — Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
  • In the meantime, no one is assigned to the case, even if the defendant is in jail.
    — Caleb Bedillion, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2023
  • The company said it is not named as a defendant.
    — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Moore is listed as the sole defendant in the complaint.
    — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Haymon is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
    — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Lawyers for the defendants said their clients were not members of antifa.
    — Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026
  • All three co-defendants have pleaded not guilty in their cases.
    — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2026
  • For murder, the defendant was sentenced to life in prison.
    — Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Drake, who isn’t named as a defendant in the complaint, is the only artist named in the suit.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Two of the defendants have already appeared in court.
    — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
  • For trantifa defendants in court — good!
    — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
    — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • All nine defendants face decades in prison if convicted.
    — Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Bond was set at $15 million for each defendant.
    — Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The other defendants could not be reached for comment.
    — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The Twelve Tribes was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
    — Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Those are the same defendants in Illinois.
    — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026

defendant

2 of 2 adjective
  • Wednesday’s ruling dismissed a sizable group of co-defendant schools from the case.
    — Steve Berkowitz, USA TODAY, 23 Sep. 2021
  • Maduro was led into court along with his co-defendant wife just before noon for the brief legal proceeding.
    — Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Co-defendant Laster wore a white button-down shirt and looked straight ahead during most of his appearance.
    — Tom Winter, NBC news, 10 June 2026
  • Defendant Juan Thompson is believed to have committed about a dozen of them.
    — David Kravets, Ars Technica, 13 June 2017
  • Defendant Giles Cory was tortured to death while refusing to enter a plea at his trial.
    — National Geographic, 18 May 2017
  • Illumina is betting on the courts and their history of pro-defendant rulings.
    — Steve Lohr, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2022
  • Elsewhere, co-defendant Basam Ibrahim has a June 11 hearing.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026
  • Others have wondered aloud if a conviction could be won if the defendant police officer in a fatal shooting were nonwhite and the victim white.
    — Mark Curnutte, Cincinnati.com, 24 July 2017
  • Bell’s co-defendant, 66-year-old Anthony Sanderson, also was sentenced this week to time served.
    — Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 10 Feb. 2022
  • Bradley and a co-defendant, 35-year-old Eddie Irvin, were initially charged with capital murder.
    — Carol Robinson | [email protected], al, 21 Apr. 2021
  • In late August, a jury found a co-defendant guilty of voluntary manslaughter in both killings as well as two counts each of armed criminal action and stealing a firearm.
    — Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Niedrach sentenced Lane’s co-defendant, 21-year-old Jacob Oliver Kaderli, to serve six years.
    — Chris Joyner, ajc, 19 Nov. 2021
  • Dimora’s cohort and co-defendant, former county Auditor Frank Russo, died last month.
    — Adam Ferrise, cleveland, 2 May 2022
  • Covin’s co-defendant, 28-year-old Roderick Delaune, is currently on trial.
    — Carol Robinson | [email protected], al, 19 Aug. 2021
  • Sanford's co-defendant, 20-year-old Ali'jah Larrue, was also sentenced on Wednesday.
    — Chris Harris, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2022
  • Richard Ayvazyan, 43, and his wife and co-defendant, 37-year-old Marietta Terabelian.
    — CBS News, 17 Nov. 2021
  • Gray’s co-defendant, 42-year-old Darcell Moore, was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder, robbery, and assault, and is set to be sentenced next month.
    — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2023
  • Minutes before resting, Kelly co-defendant and ex-business manager Derrell McDavid ended three days on the stand.
    — CBS News, 10 Sep. 2022
  • Lai and co-defendant Wong Wai-keung, a former senior executive at Next Digital who was also convicted, both pleaded not guilty.
    — Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 25 Oct. 2022
  • The panel of seven men and five women deliberated for three days before finding Rhodes and a co-defendant guilty of conspiring to oppose by force the lawful transition of presidential power.
    — Tom Jackman, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Nov. 2022
  • His co-defendant McDavid is charged on one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
    — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2022
  • His co-defendant, 31-year-old Nichelle Greene, was deciding around midday Tuesday whether to go to trial on felony murder and robbery charges after an emotional plea hearing.
    — Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 3 May 2022
  • Ross’ conviction matches that of his co-defendant, 23-year-old Francisco Cruz of Marietta, who pleaded guilty to identical charges, court records show.
    — Henri Hollis, ajc, 10 June 2022
  • At issue in the California case was whether Instagram and co-defendant YouTube were designed to addict kids, and whether the companies failed to warn families of those dangers.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Jaynes and co-defendant Salvatore Sicari befriended Curley in the summer and fall of 1997, according to the decision.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 20 Nov. 2012
  • In the unemployment benefits case, co-defendant Plummer had been paroled in July 2020 and was arrested Tuesday.
    — Gregory Yeestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2022
  • Rivera and his co-defendant, political consultant Esther Nuhfer, are among a small number of friends and family Rubio thanks in the acknowledgment section of his memoir.
    — Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
  • After a two-week trial, Jolanda’s client was found not guilty while his co-defendant cousin, in the same trial with the same jury but different lawyer, was convicted on both counts and sentenced to 20- and 40-year sentences, respectively.
    — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 2 Oct. 2020
  • Campbell and co-defendant Odyssey Sellers Carrillo — who authorities suspected was the shooter — pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and various other charges.
    — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Turner’s co-defendant and former boyfriend, Jon Kennison, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced in July to 18 to 25 years in prison.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defendant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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