public defender

noun

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.
Compare assigned counsel.

Origin of public defender

First recorded in 1915–20

Words nearby public defender

public charge, public company, public convenience, public corporation, public debt, public defender, public domain, public enemy, public enemy number one, public enterprise, public expenditure

British Dictionary definitions for public defender

public defender

noun

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

Cultural definitions for public defender

public defender

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