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

Members of the chat referenced a woman in a mask, who was part of the public defender’s office, taking photographs of the team. —John Diedrich, jsonline.com, 16 Dec. 2025

With this kind of funding available from illiberal regimes, would-be autocrats and defenders of authoritarianism can more easily keep their causes alive and gain a financial advantage over their pro-democracy rivals. —Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

The Barbie defenders disagreed. —Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025

This wasn’t a play where a defender could make a normal tackle. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Dec. 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