defender

American  

[dih-fen-der] / dɪˈfɛn dər /

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of defender

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

Example Sentences

"In a funny way, Man City might actually have taken that," ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Guardiola utilised diminutive Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano as a central defender at Barcelona, then transformed Bayern Munich's outstanding right-back Phillip Lahm into an equally effective holding midfield player.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

By rolling his defender and facing the opposition's goal when the game becomes stretched, he has added to his arsenal of assists by playing through balls to Erling Haaland running in behind.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

His U.S. public defender didn’t respond to requests for comment.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

With him out, my best defender was gone.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Related Words

• protector
• sponsor
• supporter