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 of defend

• protect
• safeguard
• guard

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

Luis Arraez had two hits and an RBI for the two-time defending division champion Phillies, who have won 16 of their last 20. — Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026

Kid Cudi defended his decision to perform with his longtime friend and controversial musician, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), after some fans and critics expressed disappointment. — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026

Built between 1539 and 1540 to defend the coast of England, Sandown was eventually abandoned and dismantled — and Moore found evidence that some of its stone was reused in a Victorian extension at Constable's Gate at Dover Castle. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Today, Indiana University’s basketball team is bad, and its football team is the defending national champion. — Mac Engel september 5, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for defend

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• depend
• descend

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.