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 of defender

• guardian
• custodian
• protector
• protection
• bodyguard

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

But on the resulting corner kick, France gets the ball to Mbappé who deftly weaved between defenders for the first goal of the game. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 30 June 2026

The best players actively regulate their distance to the defender while maintaining a high body speed, for example. — ArsTechnica, 30 June 2026

During the first half hydration break, France defender Lucas Digne let himself be doused by a sprinkler. — CBS News, 1 July 2026

Antonio Nusa dribbles into the box, gets a defender on his heels, and sends in a shot just over the outstretched arms of the Ivory Coast goalkeeper to open our scoring. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026

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