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

Montreal's first goal of the season was set up when Iván Jaime drew a foul on Red Bulls' defender Justin Che. —CBS News, 9 Mar. 2026

Yet this league is replete with scorers who aren’t defenders. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026

Celebrini’s shot from the right circle went past two defenders and Sorokin. —ABC News, 8 Mar. 2026

Most of them came after Austin defender Guilherme Biro drew an early red card in the 25th minute for stepping on the back of the leg of Charlotte’s Idan Toklomati, which meant Biro was ejected from the game and that Austin would only field 10 men the rest of the way. —Scott Fowler march 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 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