defend

American  

[dih-fend] / dɪˈfɛnd /

verb (used with object)

• defends,
  present (3rd person singular)
• defended,
  past participle,  past
• defending
  present participle

1. to ward off attack from; guard against assault or injury (usually followed by from oragainst ).

   The sentry defended the gate against sudden attack.

   Synonyms:

   fortify, garrison, shield, screen, shelter

   Antonyms:

   attack

2. to maintain by argument, evidence, etc.; uphold.

   She defended her claim successfully.

   Synonyms:

   vindicate

3. to contest (a legal charge, claim, etc.).

4. Law. to serve as attorney for (a defendant).

   He has defended some of the most notorious criminals.

5. 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.

6. Sports. to attempt to retain (a championship title, position, etc.), as in a competition against a challenger.

   A fortuitous trade has landed him on the team defending the World Series championship.

---

verb (used without object)

• defends,
  present (3rd person singular)
• defended,
  past participle,  past
• defending
  present participle

1. Law. to enter or make a defense.

2. Sports. to prevent the opposing team from scoring.

   She’s a freshman who already scores and defends like a professional.

defend British  

/ dɪˈfɛnd /

verb

1. to protect (a person, place, etc) from harm or danger; ward off an attack on

2. (tr) to support in the face of criticism, esp by argument or evidence

3. to represent (a defendant) in court in a civil or criminal action

4. sport to guard or protect (oneself, one's goal, etc) against attack

5. (tr) to protect (a championship or title) against a challenge

---

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• defender
  noun
• defendable
  adjective
• undefendable
  adjective
• undefended
  adjective
• well-defended
  adjective
• undefendably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• defending
  present
• defended
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• defend
  simple
• defends
  simple
• have defended
  perfect
• has defended
  perfect
• am defending
  progressive
• are defending
  progressive
• is defending
  progressive
• have been defending
  perfect progressive
• has been defending
  perfect progressive

Past

• defended
  simple
• had defended
  perfect
• was defending
  progressive
• were defending
  progressive
• had been defending
  perfect progressive

Future

• will defend
  simple
• will have defended
  perfect
• will be defending
  progressive
• will have been defending
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of defend

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English defenden, from Old French défendre, from Latin dēfendere “to ward off, repel,” from dē- de- + -fendere “to strike” ( see also bane ( def. ))

Explanation

Defend has different shades of meaning, but it always has the sense of protecting something — your ideas, for instance, or your title as world heavyweight champion. If you order the blood sausage and lamb when you're out to eat with your vegan friends, you may have to defend your eating habits, meaning speak up in support of your choices. Defend can also be something more concrete, like when you defend your property or your country. The lawyer who represents someone accused of a crime is there to defend the accused person — who is called the defendant — and to argue his case in court.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

defend defends defended defending

These are just some of the bold, controversial statements that have come up at “Unpopular Opinion,” a live, interactive event where people share and defend their hot takes in front of a spirited audience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

That means avoiding so-called defensive sectors that don’t defend investors “because they’re stranded assets and because they are similar to bonds,” he says.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

The inaction follows a record $98.7 billion operation the prior month to defend the yen after it weakened to near 164 to the dollar in late July.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

The lawsuit is believed to be the country's first seeking to defend an individual's vocal identity against AI-generated copies.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

“We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be.”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Barrera defends the quality of public schools and advocates for increased funding and expanding what works from successful campuses to those with poorer academic results.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The most recent tally from NGO Foro Penal, which defends political prisoners, said there were 344 such prisoners in the country as of September 18.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

“The key issue is whether the law truly forbids us from pursuing democratic transition and whether it really defends the Communist Party’s perpetual rule,” Chow, who represented herself, said in her closing statement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

With how fast the tactical landscape changes in the Premier League, Carrick will have to be nimble in how his side defends against such solutions.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

He also defends the relationship some more, arguing, among other things, how much good he is doing Sien: when he first met her, she was pale and sick.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

The French government defended on Thursday its plans to cut spending and raise taxes as it tries to thread the needle between jittery debt markets and public discontent over the rising cost of living.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

The government has defended regulated hunting as one way of managing the elephant population and human-wildlife conflict while generating income for communities.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Rodney Saint-Eloi, another Haitian writer from Montreal, also defended Orelien, telling AFP that "a young man is being publicly assassinated, that's what hurts me the most."

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Kaiser has previously defended its arbitration system, saying it was fair for both patients and for the nonprofit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

“These were like eighty bucks,” he defended himself.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

“The practice of filming staff on Capitol Hill did not originate with me,” Ms. Townsend said in a written statement, defending the practice as “legitimate” reporting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

On Tuesday, Erdogan held a three-hour meeting with economic aides over the fund crisis, after earlier defending his party's record.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Papadakis, who previously worked on the broadcast with Arbogast, called it “a bad look,” but explained that Arbogast was “usually defending USC or trying to spin something positive.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

On Tuesday, Erdogan held a three-hour meeting with economic aides over the fund scandal, after earlier defending his party's record.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

There had been some argument about it probably, Rebecca defending him, and ever after this perhaps a slight awkwardness whenever his name was mentioned.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Related Words

• contend
• fight
• fight for
• guard
• hold
• maintain
• oppose
• preserve
• prevent
• resist
• safeguard
• secure
• shield
• uphold