# not guilty

CEFR B1 · Fixed phrase

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/not-guilty
Updated: 2026-07-31

## Definition

a formal statement in a court of law saying that someone did not commit a crime.

For teachers: a formal plea or verdict in a criminal trial indicating that the defendant is not legally responsible for the charged offence.

## Examples

- The jury found the defendant not guilty.
- After three days of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all counts.
- Despite the overwhelming circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution, the defendant maintained a plea of not guilty throughout the entire trial.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The judge said he was no guilty." but "The judge said he was not guilty." — use the adverb 'not' to negate the adjective 'guilty' in this fixed legal expression.

## Usage notes

- typically follows the verbs 'plead' or 'find'.
- Teaching tip: contrast with 'innocent'; in a legal context, 'not guilty' means the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, which is a specific legal status.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.