were defending
- past progressive of defend.
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
Bukayo Saka: When England were defending deep in the first half Saka was filling in as a right wing-back to block the space around Quinones.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 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
While they were defending the gate, he would be tunneling under the south-western corner of the Abbey Wall!
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
