defender

American  

[dih-fen-der] / dɪˈfɛn dər /

noun

• defenders
  plural

1. a person who defends someone or something from attack, assault, or injury.

   We commemorate the brave defenders of this fort.

2. Law. an attorney for a defendant, especially a public defender.

   the systemwide benefits of effective defenders.

3. a person who supports an argument, theory, thesis, etc., in the face of criticism or challenging questions.

   defenders of gay rights.

4. Sports.

   1. a team player whose assigned role is to prevent the other team from scoring.

      On the court, he’s an exceptional defender and a natural leader.

   2. a contestant or team that attempts to retain a championship title, rank, etc., in a competition against a challenger.

      Her main rival is the young title defender from Italy.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• defenders
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of defender

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; defend ( def. ) + -er ² ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

defender defenders

Evans emerges as both a fierce defender of Holmes and a person with great influence over her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Martinez is good friends with Atletico Madrid defender Cristian Romero and the international colleagues spoke after last night's game.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

I think every role that I play has a little bit of me in it, and I basically play Kenny Boy if he became a public defender.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

"Over the last few years our home form has been amazing, especially in Europe," said defender Matty Cash.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The public defender closed his eyes to indicate that Zeitoun should stop talking.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

With defenders following individual opponents, the free player can cease to exist altogether.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

A handful of defenders noted that the new press secretary had only a day to get ready for her debut.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

By engineering cells before they fully mature, scientists may be able to create therapies that are easier to manufacture, more adaptable, and capable of maintaining a continuing supply of specialized immune defenders.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Zacharia succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in August after becoming one of the most prominent public defenders of Trump's second administration.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

For an example of a trivial sense, suppose the defenders of Ptolemaic astronomy had responded to the threat posed by Copernicanism by simply renaming the sun ‘the earth’, and the earth ‘the sun’.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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Related Words

• protector
• sponsor
• supporter

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