All 12 Uses
acquit
in
Nineteen Minutes
(Edited)
- It was about not letting her feelings interfere with her ability to get Loomis Bronchetti acquitted.
Chpt 1acquitted = officially found "not guilty"
- Alex had gotten him acquitted.
Chpt 1
- You were facing an unknown client who may or may not have had a chance in hell of acquittal; the trick, however, was to remain simultaneously impassive and impressive.
Chpt 1acquittal = official finding of "not guilty"
- Jordan would be the first to tell you insanity defenses rarely worked and were grossly overrated, but maybe Peter could be passed off as the real deal-and that was the key to securing an acquittal.
Chpt 1
- So are ninety-nine percent of my clients, and it's never stopped me from getting acquittals before.
Chpt 1acquittals = official findings of "not guilty"
- But deep down, you don't want Peter Houghton to get acquitted.
Chpt 1acquitted = officially found "not guilty"
- My job is to get you acquitted, and I can't lie in front of the jury.
Chpt 1
- A jury's not made up of battered women, but they've been known to acquit them before.
Chpt 1 *
- Do you really think McAfee can get him acquitted?
Chpt 2
- The likelihood of you being acquitted is slim, but I'm still going to do whatever I can for you.
Chpt 2
- Jordan opened his mouth, intending to tell his client absolutely fucking not, he would not be taking the stand and ruining the tower of cards Jordan had created in the hope of an acquittal.
Chpt 2acquittal = official finding of "not guilty"
- Jordan had done his job too well: after five months of telling Peter that he could get him acquitted, that he had a strategy, that he knew what he was doing, Peter, goddammit, had picked this moment to finally believe him.
Chpt 2acquitted = officially found "not guilty"
Definitions:
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(1)
(acquit as in: she was acquitted) to officially find "not guilty" of criminal chargesBeing acquitted does not mean the court declared the person innocent. It simply means there was not enough evidence to prove guilt according to the law.
The amount of evidence required depends on the type of case. In a criminal case, where someone could go to prison, the prosecution must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt—a very high standard. In a civil case, a lawsuit usually about money, the plaintiff only needs to show that the defendant is responsible more likely than not—a much lower standard.
This is why the same person can be found "not guilty" in a criminal trial (their guilt was not proved beyond a reasonable doubt) but still be found guilty in a civil trial for the same actions (because their guilt was more likely than not). -
(2)
(acquit as in: she acquitted herself well) to handle oneself in a specified way -- which is typically in a positive way
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(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Much less commonly and archaically, acquit can have other meanings. It can mean to release from a duty, as when Jane Austen wrote "I cannot acquit him of that duty" in her novel, Pride and Prejudice.
It can also mean to perform or complete an obligation, as when Charles Dickens wrote "I have a business charge to acquit myself of," in his novel, A Tale of Two Cities.