What does acquittal mean?
Acquittal is a noun denoting the formal declaration by a court or jury that a person accused of a crime is not guilty of the charges against them. It is the legal opposite of a conviction and typically follows a trial, though charges may also be dismissed before trial in ways that amount to an acquittal. Beyond its core meaning, acquittal has an older, now largely historical sense referring to the discharge or settling of a debt or obligation — a trace of the word's origins in notions of freeing someone from a burden. The word appears almost exclusively in legal and journalistic registers, where it is treated as neutral rather than celebratory; journalists commonly pair it with phrases such as 'verdict of acquittal' or 'full acquittal'. Its most memorable feature is its finality: under the principle of double jeopardy, a person who has been acquitted generally cannot be prosecuted again for the same offence, making acquittal one of the most consequential outcomes in criminal law.
nounA formal declaration by a court that a person accused of a crime is not guilty of the charges brought against them. It can also refer more broadly to the discharge or release from an obligation or duty.
- A formal judgment by a court that a criminal defendant is not guilty of the charges.
- The discharge or release from a debt, obligation, or duty (a now-rare, chiefly historical sense).
"After three days of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of acquittal."
"The defence lawyer's meticulous cross-examination ultimately secured her client's acquittal."
"Despite lingering public suspicion, the court's acquittal meant he could never be retried for the same offence."
The plural is regular and is most often used when discussing multiple cases or comparing rates across courts or jurisdictions.
"The report noted a sharp rise in acquittals over the past decade."
An acquittal isn't just 'not guilty' — it's a legal shield: once acquitted, a defendant generally cannot be tried again for the same crime, even if new evidence emerges.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of acquittal
Acquittal derives from the Old French verb 'aquiter', meaning to settle, release, or free from a charge, which itself traces back to the Latin 'quietus', meaning 'free' or 'at rest'. English adopted the noun form in the late medieval period, when it could refer both to clearing someone of guilt and to discharging a debt or obligation. It belongs to the same family as 'acquit' and 'quit', all rooted in the idea of setting free or making even. Cognates appear in other Romance languages, such as French 'acquitter' and Italian 'assolvere' in related senses.
Related word forms
How acquittal is actually used
Acquittal is a formal legal term used almost exclusively in judicial contexts; it carries no negative connotation and is typically used neutrally in news reporting. In British English it applies to verdicts in criminal trials, and the same is true in American English. The older sense relating to discharging debts or obligations survives mainly in historical or specialized legal writing.
Easily confused with acquittal
An acquittal declares a defendant not guilty, whereas a conviction declares them guilty of the charges.