defend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to ward off attack from; guard against assault or injury (usually followed by from oragainst ).
The sentry defended the gate against sudden attack.
- Antonyms:
- attack
-
to maintain by argument, evidence, etc.; uphold.
She defended her claim successfully.
- Synonyms:
- vindicate
-
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.
-
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)
-
Law. to enter or make a defense.
-
Sports. to prevent the opposing team from scoring.
She’s a freshman who already scores and defends like a professional.
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
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
-
defendernoun
-
defendableadjective
-
undefendableadjective
-
undefendedadjective
-
well-defendedadjective
-
undefendablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
defendsimple
-
defendssimple
-
have defendedperfect
-
has defendedperfect
-
am defendingprogressive
-
are defendingprogressive
-
is defendingprogressive
-
have been defendingperfect progressive
-
has been defendingperfect progressive
Past
-
defendedsimple
-
had defendedperfect
-
was defendingprogressive
-
were defendingprogressive
-
had been defendingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing defend
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Veterans Day Vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
When your interest bill crowds out everything else, you cannot afford to defend your currency with expensive rates.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
A Meta spokeswoman said in a statement that the company would continue to defend itself vigorously while focusing on providing “safe, age-appropriate experiences parents tell us they want for their teens.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Fawaz's remarkable story is explored in the new BBC documentary Fighting for Freedom, which followed him as he prepared to defend his British title against Ryan Kelly in Wolverhampton in May.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
"Renault Group will defend its innocence, as well as the professionalism and ethics of its 100,000 employees, before the criminal court," the company said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
She had strong opinions, and she wasn’t afraid to defend them.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Standing by his new jet as passengers stream on to it, bound for a summer break in Croatia, Kevin Doyle from EasyJet defends putting more planes into the sky.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
But he ably defends Alys from a group of invaders, relying on muscle memory and — perhaps — a sense of honor to pay her back for saving his life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Defiant Tuchel defends decisions and says loss is 'scar we carry now'
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The Becket Fund defends religious liberty for people of disparate faiths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
“When he defends his title in 1975,” Rader added, “he’ll be much better able to capitalize financially.”
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Kevin Bryan, an associate professor at the University of Toronto specializing in innovation, defended Anthropic and said the fears about the risks of frontier intelligence being open source are real and widely shared.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Luke Littler defended his World Matchplay title in sensational style - and smashed Phil Taylor's tournament and final average records in the process.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Hartig defended that drive to put moments in context because it’s what gets her up in the morning.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
In interviews, Croom defended the contracts, saying her companies provided meals, snacks and beverages to the nonprofit’s roughly 200 residents at a lower cost than what outside vendors would have charged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
They had the element of surprise on their side, because people only defended themselves from a right-handed attack.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
The Ukrainians have been defending against Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones, fending off the types of attacks the U.S. military and its allies now face in the Middle East with dwindling supplies of air-defense stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
She crafted a letter to Congress defending her longtime friend.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Carson, the defending City Section Open Division champion, will have five mandatory days of acclimation, then hold an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
For months, she has been defending Fire Point against allegations of corruption and accusations that have accompanied the company's meteoric rise.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
It expands to encompass an entire but still-emerging world that Burr threatened and Hamilton believed himself to be defending.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
