public defender

noun

: a lawyer usually holding public office whose duty is to defend accused persons unable to pay for legal assistance

Examples of public defender in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Before starting his career with the FBI more than two decades ago, Veltri served as an assistant public defender in the Broward County Pubic Defender’s Office. Jay Weaver, Orlando Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2025 Maria Jacob, a public defender and Mr. English’s lawyer, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday evening. Hank Sanders, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2025 The eight men and five women nominated to the Superior Court range in age from 41 to 65 and have a diversity of professional backgrounds: public defender, prosecutor, commercial litigation, legal aid, child protection and elder law. Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 28 Jan. 2025 Research has shown that judges who have backgrounds as public defenders tend to hand down less punitive sentences and incarcerate fewer people, a fact that criminal justice reform advocates have been stressing in their praise of Biden's judicial picks. Cooper Burton, ABC News, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for public defender 

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of public defender was in 1822

Dictionary Entries Near public defender

Cite this Entry

“Public defender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20defender. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

Legal Definition

public defender

noun
: a lawyer usually holding public office who represents criminal defendants unable to pay for legal assistance

More from Merriam-Webster on public defender

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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