defend

verb

de·​fend di-ˈfend 

defended; defending; defends

transitive verb

1

a

: to drive danger or attack away from

defend the castle from invaders

b(1)

: to maintain or support in the face of argument or hostile criticism

defend a theory

couldn't defend their actions

(2)

: to prove (something, such as a doctoral thesis or dissertation) valid by answering questions in an oral exam

preparing to defend her thesis

c

sports : to attempt to prevent an opponent from scoring at

elects to defend the south goal

2

archaic : prevent, forbid

which God defend that I should wring from him

—Shakespeare

3

: to act as attorney for

hired a lawyer to defend their son

4

law : to deny or oppose the right of a plaintiff in regard to (a suit or a wrong charged) : contest

5

: to retain or seek to retain (something, such as a title or position) against a challenge in a contest

they successfully defended their championship

intransitive verb

1

: to take action against attack or challenge

the defending champion

2

sports : to play or be on defense

playing deep to defend against a pass

3

card games : to play against the high bidder

defendable

di-ˈfen-də-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• bulwark
• cover
• fence
• fend
• forfend
• guard
• keep
• protect
• safeguard
• screen
• secure
• shield
• ward

Choose the Right Synonym for defend

defend, protect, shield, guard, safeguard mean to keep secure from danger or against attack.

defend denotes warding off actual or threatened attack.

defend the country

protect implies the use of something (such as a covering) as a bar to the admission or impact of what may attack or injure.

a hard hat to protect your head

shield suggests protective intervention in imminent danger or actual attack.

shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand

guard implies protecting with vigilance and force against expected danger.

White House entrances are well guarded

safeguard implies taking precautionary protective measures against merely possible danger.

our civil liberties must be safeguarded

synonyms see in addition maintain

Examples of defend in a Sentence

The company must defend its own interests.

We believed it was a cause worth defending.

She defended her friend's behavior.

Stop defending him. What he did was wrong.

Recent Examples on the Web

In late 2021, New York State Attorney General Letitia James released documents showing Chris Cuomo, while employed at CNN, took an active hand in helping his brother defend himself. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024

After that, the Rangers have seven consecutive games against teams currently in playoff position, including the top three teams in the Eastern Conference in the Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes, plus another against the defending champion Florida Panthers. —Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024

Because the tax credits are defined by law, Congress would have to act to fully remove them, and the auto industry is already lobbying to try to defend them. —Camila Domonoske, NPR, 16 Dec. 2024

Netanyahu, the first Israeli PM to take the stand as a criminal defendant, is defending himself against allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three cases dating back to 2007. —Michael D. Carroll and Hugh Cameron, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English defenden, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French defendre, defender, going back to Latin dēfendere "to ward off, fend off, repel danger from, protect," from dē- de- + -fendere, presumably, "to strike, hit" (unattested without prefixes), going back to Indo-European *g^when-d^h-, extended determinate form of *g^when-, *g^whn- "strike, kill," whence Hittite kuenzi "(s/he) kills," kunanzi "(they) kill," Sanskrit hánti "(s/he) strikes, kills," ghnánti "(they) strike, kill," Greek theínein "to strike," épethnon "(I) killed," Old Irish gonaid "(s/he) pierces, wounds, kills," Welsh gwan- "stab, pierce," Lithuanian genù, giñti "to drive (cattle, etc.)," Old Church Slavic ženǫ, gŭnati "to drive, chase out, expel"; also, from nominal derivative *g^whon-, Greek phónos "bloodshed, murder," and from *g^whń̥-tih₂, Germanic *gunþī, *gunþjō, whence Old English gūþ "battle, combat," Old Saxon gūđea, Old High German gund-, Old Icelandic gunnr, guðr

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

defend

verb

de·​fend di-ˈfend 

1

: to repel danger or attack

defending their own country

2

: to act as attorney for

3

: to oppose the claim of another in a lawsuit : contest

4

: to uphold against opposition

defended the freedom of the press

Legal Definition

defend

transitive verb

de·​fend

1

: to drive danger or attack away from

using a weapon to defend oneself

2

: to act as attorney for (a defendant)

appointed to defend the accused

3

: to deny or oppose the rights of a plaintiff in regard to (a suit or claim)

intend to defend the case

intransitive verb

1

: to take action against attack or challenge

not justified in striking first, but may defend

2

: to present a defense

may not thereafter defend on grounds of insanity

—W. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.