defendant | meaning of defendant in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Lawdefendantde‧fen‧dant /dɪˈfendənt/ noun [countable]    SCTthe person in a court of law who has been accused of doing something illegal → plaintiff SYN prisoner American English  We find the defendant not guilty.Examples from the Corpusdefendant• The legal system flounders in its own morass of indefensible defendants, incoherent witnesses, and injudicious jurists.• There are six defendants altogether, including the third defendant, and separate claims are made against three groups of defendants.• She appealed against the defendants being given bail for fear they would interfere with witnesses who could help police inquiries.• During the trial, several prosecution witnesses reportedly retracted incriminating statements they had earlier made against the defendants.• But here there was no mistake on the part of the defendant either of law or fact.• The police officer said the defendant had resisted arrest.• He has this right in relation to goods which the defendant owns at the time the sheriff receives the writ.• The defendant pleaded not guilty.• There were defendants and their lawyers, defendants and their pals, defendants and their families.• The possibility that Clinton might grant pardons for convicted Whitewater defendants is a non-issue.From Longman Business Dictionarydefendantde‧fen‧dant /dɪˈfendənt/ noun [countable]LAW the person or organization in a court of law that has been ACCUSED of doing something illegalThe defendant was convicted and sentenced to 7 years in state prison.