defend
verb (used with object)
to ward off attack from; guard against assault or injury (usually followed by from oragainst ).
was defending
-
past progressiveof defend.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
"He was defending me, all of southern Lebanon, and all of Lebanon."
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
The center-left Labour Party of Prime Minister Keir Starmer was defending a seat in the northwest of England that the party had held in various forms for decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
He didn’t say he was defending billionaires against Main Street.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 9, 2026
Crane is fighting those charges, saying Mairena was defending herself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
In a sense, Washington was defending his presidency as an essential exception to full-blooded republican principles.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
