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.
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
The Beatles thought they were defending themselves against the taxman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 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
Local leaders have disputed the administration’s narrative that agents were defending themselves as Good attempted to run them down, with Mayor Jacob Frey calling the claim a “garbage narrative.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026
The males were defending their nest on a cactus not a hundred yards from where Frightful had sat.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
