defend
verb (used with object)
to ward off attack from; guard against assault or injury (usually followed by from oragainst ).
were 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.
Australia were defending the Ashes in England in 1975.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The U.S. casualties came as American and partner forces were defending against missile and drone attacks, Centcom said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
"We did great work in attack and in defence... you could tell that we were defending as a team during the whole game," Valverde told Real Madrid TV.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
Around the same time, county fire officials were defending structures on East Mount Curve Avenue near Lake Avenue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025
“We just didn’t realize it. During the Titan War last summer, while you were attacking Mount Othrys, we were defending Mount Olympus in Manhattan. I fought Kronos myself.”
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
