defend
[dih-fend]
- to ward off attack from; guard against assault or injury (usually followed by from or against): The sentry defended the gate against sudden attack.
- to maintain by argument, evidence, etc.; uphold: She defended her claim successfully.
- to contest (a legal charge, claim, etc.).
- Law. to serve as attorney for (a defendant): He has defended some of the most notorious criminals.
- to support (an argument, theory, etc.) in the face of criticism; prove the validity of (a dissertation, thesis, or the like) by answering arguments and questions put by a committee of specialists.
- to attempt to retain (a championship title, position, etc.), as in a competition against a challenger.
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- Law. to enter or make a defense.
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Origin of defend
1200–50; Middle English defenden < Old French defendre < Latin dēfendere to ward off, equivalent to dē- de- + -fendere to strike
Synonyms
See more synonyms for defend on Thesaurus.com1. shelter, screen, shield; garrison, fortify. 2. vindicate.
Synonym study
1. Defend, guard, preserve, protect all mean to keep safe. To defend is to strive to keep safe by resisting attack: to defend one's country. To guard is to watch over in order to keep safe: to guard a camp. To preserve is to keep safe in the midst of danger, either in a single instance or continuously: to preserve a spirit of conciliation. To protect is to keep safe by interposing a shield or barrier: to protect books by means of heavy paper covers.
Antonyms
1. attack.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for defend
Contemporary Examples
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
During coverage of that issue, Farrell went on a WSMB AM radio talk show to defend Duke.
When our elected representatives assume their respective offices, they take an oath to “protect and defend the Constitution.”
“Once we get to the point of being able to defend the case, then the thing can move forward,” he told the Beast.
Which politician wants to defend federally-subsidized abortions for convicted criminals?
Historical Examples
To defend and avenge each other, is the deep feeling of all.
The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and CaliforniaBrevet Col. J.C. Fremont
Will you then defend a man in speaking things that are not true?
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
She challenged his philosophy and gave him a chance to defend it.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
Naturally he felt called upon to endorse his heroine, to defend her.
Quaint CourtshipsVarious
That brute of a Bouquet came spying about my castle, and I did but defend myself.
The Boy Life of NapoleonEugenie Foa
defend
- to protect (a person, place, etc) from harm or danger; ward off an attack on
- (tr) to support in the face of criticism, esp by argument or evidence
- to represent (a defendant) in court in a civil or criminal action
- sport to guard or protect (oneself, one's goal, etc) against attack
- (tr) to protect (a championship or title) against a challenge
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French defendre, from Latin dēfendere to ward off, from de- + -fendere to strike
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for defend
v.
mid-13c., from Old French defendre (12c.) "defend, resist," and directly from Latin defendere "ward off, protect, guard, allege in defense," from de- "from, away" (see de-) + -fendere "to strike, push," from PIE root *gwhen- "to strike, kill" (see bane). In the Mercian hymns, Latin defendet is glossed by Old English gescildeð. Related: Defended; defending.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper