defender
Americannoun
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defenders
plural
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a person who defends someone or something from attack, assault, or injury.
We commemorate the brave defenders of this fort.
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Law. an attorney for a defendant, especially a public defender.
the systemwide benefits of effective defenders.
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a person who supports an argument, theory, thesis, etc., in the face of criticism or challenging questions.
defenders of gay rights.
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Sports.
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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.
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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
Etymology
Origin of defender
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; defend ( def. ) + -er 2 ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing defender
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
For the second straight week, Olwethu Makhanya was the most dominant and classy defender on the pitch.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
She is a staunch defender of the Scandinavian country's famed welfare state, with an attitude that resonates with many Swedes, regularly topping opinion polls on the country's most trusted politicians.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and defender Antonio Rudiger retired from international duty after Germany's second-round exit against Paraguay at this summer's World Cup.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Mistral, for its part, has been a staunch defender of open-weight models, saying they give users the flexibility to tailor them to their needs while protecting their data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The repetitions of Vandara’s accusations were recited, and the defender again and again reiterated the amendment that said exceptions could be made.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
We have seen De Zerbi's forwards in bigger spaces facing fewer defenders on numerous occasions this season already.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Gen. Yokoyama Isamu, commanding Japan’s 11th army, smashed into Hengyang on June 23 with more than a 2-to-1 troop advantage over the defenders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Against Liverpool, Spurs have the chance to play long into three runners against two Liverpool defenders.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Manning has plenty of defenders, arguing that this a kerfuffle about nothing, that Manning is a college kid reacting like a college kid to a fake video of something that didn’t happen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
For a moment, as the Blue Springs defenders converged, Bien looked as though he would pass it back to Qendrim, who was now unmarked.
From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
