defendant
/dɪˈfɛndənt/
noun
Common
1.n.a person or institution against whom an action is brought in a court of law; the person being sued or accused
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defendant and suspect share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. defendant means “a person or institution against whom an action is brought in a court of law; the person being sued or accused”. suspect means “imagine to be the case or true or probable”. suspect is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/dɪˈfɛndənt/
1.n.a person or institution against whom an action is brought in a court of law; the person being sued or accused
/səˈspɛkt/
| defendant | suspect | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /dɪˈfɛndənt/ | /səˈspɛkt/ |
| Said | di-FEN-duhnt | suh-SPEKT |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Letters | 9 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | noun | verb, noun, adjective |
| Senses | 1 | 6 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | suspect | surmise |
Full entry for defendant · Full entry for suspect · More comparisons
1.v.imagine to be the case or true or probable
“I suspect he is a fugitive”
2.v.regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in
3.v.hold in suspicion; believe to be guilty
“The U.S. suspected Bin Laden as the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks”