as in compensatory
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1
as in clearing
to free from a charge of wrongdoing
acquitted of the robbery charge after proving he was nowhere near the scene of the crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in behaving
to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way
the king promised handsome rewards to all who acquitted themselves well in the battle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of acquitting
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Soon after, Dead & Company, with John Mayer acquitting himself in the Garcia role better than anyone would have thought, set sail.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
This means the Seoul court has three options on Yoon — issuing the death sentence as requested by Cho’s team, commuting it to life sentence or 20-50 years in prison, or acquitting him.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Hank Brennan, a longtime defense attorney famous for representing Bulger, earned $566,000 for his work as special prosecutor in Read’s second murder trial, which ended with a jury acquitting the woman of O’Keefe’s death.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 26 Nov. 2025
The first jury, by contrast, deliberated for days before acquitting Amiri of conspiracy, multiple deprivation-of-rights charges and convicting him of the single dog attack and records falsification.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Jury leans toward convicting Sweet and brother Harry for manslaughter and acquitting everyone else, but can't reach unanimous verdicts.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verdict Announced in Young Dolph's Murder Trial The jury deliberated for about three hours before acquitting the 45-year-old of first-degree murder and conspiracy charges.
—Jenna Sundel
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
In 2013, with Knox now back in the United States, Italy’s highest court ordered a new trial, ultimately acquitting her in 2015.
—New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
In Davis’s work, runny paint has a way of acquitting objects of their permanence.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Soon after, Dead & Company, with John Mayer acquitting himself in the Garcia role better than anyone would have thought, set sail.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026
This means the Seoul court has three options on Yoon — issuing the death sentence as requested by Cho’s team, commuting it to life sentence or 20-50 years in prison, or acquitting him.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Hank Brennan, a longtime defense attorney famous for representing Bulger, earned $566,000 for his work as special prosecutor in Read’s second murder trial, which ended with a jury acquitting the woman of O’Keefe’s death.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 26 Nov. 2025
The first jury, by contrast, deliberated for days before acquitting Amiri of conspiracy, multiple deprivation-of-rights charges and convicting him of the single dog attack and records falsification.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Jury leans toward convicting Sweet and brother Harry for manslaughter and acquitting everyone else, but can't reach unanimous verdicts.
—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verdict Announced in Young Dolph's Murder Trial The jury deliberated for about three hours before acquitting the 45-year-old of first-degree murder and conspiracy charges.
—Jenna Sundel
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
In 2013, with Knox now back in the United States, Italy’s highest court ordered a new trial, ultimately acquitting her in 2015.
—New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acquitting
Verb
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That unclogged the pipe, allowing the waste management system to expel the urine outside the capsule, potentially clearing the system to allow the astronauts to begin using the toilet again.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
-
By midday, west of the settlement, a road crew is busy clearing debris after a small landslide the day before.—
NPR,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Burden’s family legacy was fractured by infidelity and a laissez faire attitude, at least in the public sphere, toward men behaving badly.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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But expansions have a way of behaving like yeast.—
David Caraccio
March 28,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Thursday’s proceeding is expected to bring that long chapter to a close, formally exonerating the four men and marking a consequential moment in a case that has haunted Austin for more than three decades.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Feb. 2026
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The official investigators of the deaths during the infamous riot were under intense and explicit pressure to conform their testimony to an official, state-exonerating narrative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In Rome, Pope Leo XIV observed the first Good Friday of his papacy by carrying a wooden cross for all of the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross, marking the first time in decades that a pope carried the cross to every station.—
Victor Jacobo,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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Kelley makes a play for Göring’s trust by befriending his wife and daughter and carrying letters to them, against all regulations.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Morgan said the police officer and the city are fair game — especially if Patel’s attorneys can show certain exculpatory evidence was withheld.—
Shaddi Abusaid,
AJC.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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In a separate court filing submitted Monday, Cole’s attorneys also demanded broad discovery, including all statements attributed to him, investigative notes, information about the FBI’s use of informants to identify Cole as a suspect, and any exculpatory material.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The findings can feel vindicating for people who have tried to curb cravings for sweets and failed.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
24 Mar. 2026
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Many hoped that lepton universality would be violated, but the LHCb collaboration, perhaps to their own surprise, wound up vindicating the Standard Model.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The officers are not seen physically restraining her, but appear to form a barrier between the crowd and ICE agents.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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On Sunday, a video appearing to show immigration agents restraining a crying woman in front of her child at San Francisco International Airport circulated on social media platforms.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Compared to the absolving gleam of latex, sloppy imperfection isn’t especially sexy.—
Lillian Fishman,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
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The team issued a series of statements Wednesday accepting blame for approving the design and absolving the league’s uniform manufacturer, Fanatics, of responsibility.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acquitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acquitting. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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