Pronunciation: duh-FEN-dent
The person who is being sued in a civil litigation or the person charged with a crime in a criminal case is called the defendant.
In a criminal case, the case brought against the defendant is by the prosecutor, who acts on behalf of the state. In a civil case, the opposite of the defendant is the plaintiff.
Sample Sentence
Plaintiff sued defendant after the prosecutor failed to convict the defendant in his criminal case.
