defend

[dih-fend]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR defend ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

Law. to enter or make a defense.

Origin of defend

1200–50; Middle English defenden < Old French defendre < Latin dēfendere to ward off, equivalent to dē- de- + -fendere to strike

Related formsde·fend·a·ble, adjectivede·fend·er, nounpre·de·fend, verb (used with object)un·de·fend·a·ble, adjectiveun·de·fend·a·ble·ness, nounun·de·fend·a·bly, adverbun·de·fend·ed, adjectiveun·de·fend·ing, adjectivewell-de·fend·ed, adjective

Synonyms for defend

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR defend ON THESAURUS.COM

1. 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 for defend

1. attack.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for defender

protector, supporter, sponsor, guardian

Examples from the Web for defender

Contemporary Examples of defender

He could be remade into a defender of the environment, a preserver of habitats and champion of rainforest ecology.
Can Tarzan of the Apes Survive in a Post-Colonial World?
Ted Gioia
November 23, 2014
Meanwhile, U.S. defender Matt Besler, who seemed a bit dinged up after that Portugal stunner, will be good to go.
USA vs. Germany World Cup Primer: Everything You Need to Know About the Epic Showdown
Marlow Stern
June 26, 2014
When her opponents chose a blacksmith as their champion, she produced the same type of defender.
The ‘GOT’ Red Viper and Mountain Duel, and a History of Medieval Trial by Combat
Steven Isaac
June 3, 2014
This time, he gallops onto the national stage as defender of the faith—a stance that may open some pocketbooks.
The Bill Nye-Ken Ham Debate Was a Nightmare for Science
Michael Schulson
February 5, 2014
But, as Adam Kirsch writes, a new collection of essays shows how his political ideology changed him into a defender of oppression.
How Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existential Angst Got the Better of Him
Adam Kirsch
June 28, 2013

Historical Examples of defender

Can you, who are a defender of the faith, and so forth, assist me?
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
Even Serena, defender of the dances of the ancient Greeks, looked shocked.
Cap'n Dan's Daughter
Joseph C. Lincoln
His sympathy had been always with the oppressed, and he had now become their defender.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete
Albert Bigelow Paine
He is the defender of her rights in his home, and the avenger of her wrongs everywhere.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV
Various
At any moment the men might return and force her into the rôle of defender.
They of the High Trails
Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for defender

defend

verb

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

Derived Formsdefendable, adjectivedefender, noun

Word Origin for defend

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for defender

c.1300 (early 13c. as a surname), via Anglo-French, from Old French defendeor, agent noun from defendre (see defend). The Latin word in this sense was defensor.

defend

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.