notguilty (pluralnot guilties)
- (law) A formalplea by adefendant of not being culpable for the crime with which the defendant is charged.
If you do not plead, a plea ofnot guilty will be entered for you.
- (law) Averdict or formal finding by the legal system that a defendant is not culpable for the crime with which the defendant was charged.
2003, D.B.C. Pierre,Vernon God Little[1],→ISBN, page238:My heart beats through fivenot guilties. Six, seven, nine, eleven. Seventeen not guilties. The prosecutor's lips curl.
- A member of a jury or tribunal supporting acquittal, or a vote cast in support of acquittal.
2006, John Lutz,Chill of Night[2],→ISBN, page213:Twonot guilties. Seven for conviction. "I'm a 'not guilty,'" she said.
- A person who has been acquitted of a crime.
1997,David Brinkley, “June 5, 1983”, inEveryone Is Entitled to My Opinion[3],→ISBN, page32:Thenot guilties walked out and went to work if they had jobs; the guilties were hauled away to spend maybe thirty days on the county farm growing cabbage.
verdict of non-culpability
Translations to be checked
notguilty
- (law) Of a person,legally innocent of a crime which they have been accused of in a court of law.
He was foundnot guilty because there was a reasonable doubt.
- (nonstandard)Innocent.
The jury said he wasnot guilty. I knew he wouldn't have done something like that.
legally innocent of a crime of which one has been accused in a court of law
