defend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
defends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
defended,
past participle, past
-
defending
present participle
-
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
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to maintain by argument, evidence, etc.; uphold.
She defended her claim successfully.
- Synonyms:
- vindicate
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to contest (a legal charge, claim, etc.).
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Law. to serve as attorney for (a defendant).
He has defended some of the most notorious criminals.
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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.
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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)
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defends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
defended,
past participle, past
-
defending
present participle
-
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
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(tr) to support in the face of criticism, esp by argument or evidence
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to represent (a defendant) in court in a civil or criminal action
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sport to guard or protect (oneself, one's goal, etc) against attack
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(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
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defendernoun
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defendableadjective
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undefendableadjective
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undefendedadjective
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well-defendedadjective
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undefendablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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defendsimple
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defendssimple
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have defendedperfect
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has defendedperfect
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am defendingprogressive
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are defendingprogressive
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is defendingprogressive
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have been defendingperfect progressive
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has been defendingperfect progressive
Past
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defendedsimple
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had defendedperfect
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was defendingprogressive
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were defendingprogressive
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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
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Veterans Day Vocabulary
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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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:
The 38-year-old will defend her WBA and WBO featherweight titles on home soil at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
The company tried to use frontier models to defend itself, and initially that worked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
"I see myself as someone who tries to defend his country's narrative," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
The team also discovered how the newly remodeled fibers help defend themselves.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
The bees were thirsty and decided to defend the same fountain.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
Blocking agents defends Amazon’s ability to advertise and sell directly to consumers—many of whom are Amazon Prime subscribers and won’t change where they shop just because their agents are cut off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The most recent tally from NGO Foro Penal, which defends political prisoners, said there were 344 such prisoners in the country as of September 18.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Housing costs are climbing, but James T. Butts Jr. defends the growth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning book tells the story of lawyer Atticus Finch as he defends Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
I say, then, that the armies with which a prince defends his state are made up of his own troops, or mercenaries, or auxiliaries, or of mixed troops.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Jayawardhana defended the decades-old partnership between higher education institutions and Washington, which pours billions of dollars into research universities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Opponents often defended in a zonal manner, as players blocked specific areas of the pitch.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Chief Executive Jamie Dimon has defended the spending as a worthwhile investment in shareholders’ best interests, despite once quipping that investors should short the stock of any company building a fancy new headquarters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
A Postal Service spokesperson still defended the plan, both for financial reasons and to adjust to the changing marketplace.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
Yes, he had defended girls-as-an-idea in front of Bartholomew.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Dubbed 'The Bosnian Brick Wall' by fans, he has helped Leeds boast the second meanest defence in the Premier League behind defending champions Arsenal.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
“Chiquita has complied with relevant requirements and worked closely with California regulators to design and develop a complex hazardous waste management program. We look forward to defending ourselves against the state’s unwarranted accusations.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The problem is that these same filters can block those defending against cyberattacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
He navigates school and family life at the same time as defending humanity from evil spirits.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
The Campbell boy didn’t like me on account of the fact I didn’t treat John regular—orphan defending orphan, I guess.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
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