public defender

noun

1. a lawyer appointed or elected by a city or county as a full-time, official defender to represent indigents in criminal cases at public expense.

public defender

noun

1. (in the US) a lawyer engaged at public expense to represent indigent defendants

public defender

1. An attorney who is appointed and paid by a court to defend poor persons who cannot afford a lawyer.

Word History and Origins

Origin of public defender¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

“This case is unlike any other,” said Alyssa Bell, a former public defender who is leading the appeal team.

From Los Angeles Times

“They were progressive D.A.s who really should have been public defenders and not D.A.s,” says Townsend, who advises moderate Democratic candidates.

From Los Angeles Times

Her court-appointed attorney, deputy federal public defender Rebecca Harris, did not respond to an email seeking comment.

From Los Angeles Times

Eventually, at the advice of his public defender, he stopped going out alone so much, hoping to avoid deputies he said he feared might harass him.

From Los Angeles Times

A call to Nelson’s court-ordered public defender was not immediately returned.

From Los Angeles Times