- guilty
- finding after a trial that a person has done something which is against the law
Examples He was found guilty of libel. • The company was guilty of evading the VAT regulations.Usage to find someone guilty,to return a verdict of guilty, to return a guilty verdict (of a judge or jury)- to say at the end of the trial that the accused is guilty
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Usage to plead guilty (of an accused person)
- to say at the beginning of a trial that you did commit the crime of which you are accused
Usage to plead not guilty- to say at the beginning of a trial that you did not commit the crime of which you are accused
Example The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Definition
adjective