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defendOne entry found. Main Entry: de·fend Pronunciation: \di-ˈfend\ Function: verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French defendre, from Latin defendere, from de- + -fendere to strike; akin to Old English gūth battle, war, Greek theinein to strike Date: 14th century transitive verb 1 a : to drive danger or attack away from <defend our shores> b (1) : to maintain or support in the face of argument or hostile criticism <defend a theory> (2) : to prove (as a doctoral thesis) valid by answering questions in an oral exam c : to attempt to prevent an opponent from scoring at <elects to defend the south goal> — de·fend·able \ˈfen-də-bəl\ adjective synonyms 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 (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
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