defender

noun

de·​fend·​er di-ˈfen-dər 

1

: one that defends

2

: a player in a sport (such as football) assigned to a defensive position

Synonyms

• custodian
• guard
• guardian
• guardian angel
• protection
• protector

Examples of defender in a Sentence

one of the traditional roles of an older brother is that of schoolyard defender

Recent Examples on the Web

Too often, defenders turn their heads to watch the ball, completely losing track of their man. —Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

The second straight clean sheet was also a point of pride for the back line, according to defender Izzy Rodriguez. —Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025

Roland broke free before having to juke a defender with a stop and a spin, then beating the Nelson keeper from 12 yards away. —Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2025

Habba, a staunch defender of President Trump and White House counsel, was tapped to serve as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey earlier this week. —Steff Danielle Thomas, The Hill, 29 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English defendour, defender, borrowed from Anglo-French defendour, defendur, from defend-, stem of defendre "to defend" + -our, -ur -or entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing defender

• public defender

Rhymes for defender

• bartender
• contender
• engender
• extender
• offender
• pretender
• provender
• surrender
• suspender
• transgender
• bender
• blender

Kids Definition

defender

noun

de·​fend·​er -ˈfen-dər 

1

: one that defends

2

: a player in a sport (as football) who plays a defensive position

Legal Definition

defender

noun

de·​fend·​er

: a lawyer who represents defendants

especially : public defender