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.

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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

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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

While that can reduce inflammation, it can also interfere with the body's ability to defend itself.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

"We reject the claims and will defend them vigorously before the tribunal."

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

However, incumbents continue to defend, and in some cases regain, market share.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The Disney-owned station licenses were not set to expire for several years when the FCC demanded that Disney defend its stewardship of the outlets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

If I can defend myself against elephants or rhinos, I thought, why not a lion?

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

He defends with maturity and intelligence, and his technical level means he can support the team higher up the pitch.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

With less than two years until she defends her Olympic crown in Los Angeles however, new rivals are looking ever more threatening.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 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

Represented pro bono by the Deborah Project, which defends Jews who are under assault in education, they could afford to keep fighting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 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

Over the weekend, President Trump and White House AI adviser David Sacks defended the administration’s strategy of minimal regulation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

She produced another break of Sabalenka’s serve in the third game of the set and defended her advantage with clinical precision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

Ahead of his arrival in Lima, the Chinese embassy rejected suggestions that the region was anyone's "backyard" and defended Beijing's cooperation with Latin American countries.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Prime Minister Andy Burnham defended his government's decision, telling MPs that "Britain has to stand for fairness against injustice. Where people are being bullied out of their homes... we will always stand with the underdog."

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Many of the isolated, heavily defended camps were on hilltops in remote locations near Vietnam’s western border with Cambodia and Laos where Special Forces could keep track of enemy movement.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Kazakhstan's Rybakina produced a brilliant performance to beat two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 5-7 6-2 in Saturday's final and repeat her Australian Open success against the same player in January.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Texas, who missed the playoff, spent the offseason defending its quarterback against criticism and reloading its roster with transfers to make his life easier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

He also lauded Irish golfer Shane Lowry, who has shone at the Open so far, and Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irish defending champion who has previously played golf with the American leader.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

This came even as three heroic Muslim men gave their lives in May while defending some 240 children at the Islamic Center of San Diego from anti-Muslim extremists.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

Camilla falls after giving a very good account of herself; the wicked Mezentius meets the fate he so richly deserves, but only after his brave young son is killed defending him.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

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