defender

noun

de·fend·er | \ di-ˈfen-dər

Definition of defender

1 : one that defends

2 : a player in a sport (such as football) assigned to a defensive position

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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

These passes were underthrown, overthrown, astray in some other way, tipped at the line or batted down by defenders. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "How Drew Brees Pushes the Limits of Quarterback Accuracy," 17 Jan. 2019 Curry might not have the speed to blow by defenders, but there's enough shake in his game to make way for a pull-up jumper. — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, "NBA Free Agency 2018: Under-the-Radar Grades," 4 July 2018 The captain collected the ball in between two defenders, turned and slipped a shot on the ground in at the far post. — Danielle Lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville City FC beats Nashville, advances to US Open Cup quarterfinal," 20 June 2018 This did not go as planned, as religious leaders said Sessions was misinterpreting scripture, and others noted that the passage was also used by defenders of slavery in the U.S., Nazis, and advocates for South African Apartheid. — Margaret Hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Jeff Sessions Defends Family Separation With False Claim About Nazis’ Treatment of Jews," 19 June 2018 No Golden State defender on Ayton was taller than 6-9. — Jose M. Romero, The Seattle Times, "Curry’s 34 points help Warriors scorch Suns, 132-109," 31 Dec. 2018 While both are ardent defenders of President Donald Trump, McCarthy, as the number two House Republican is the natural successor to Ryan. — Tara Golshan, Vox, "The fight to lead House Republicans now that they’re in the minority, explained," 8 Nov. 2018 To defend the missile sites, a helicopter that can fly faster, farther and carry more defenders would certainly be useful. — Allison Barrie, Fox News, "Meet the new Air Force helicopters that can 'defy Armageddon'," 27 Sep. 2018 England defender Kyle Walker is finding meaning in the game no one wants to play. — James Ellingworth, chicagotribune.com, "England, Belgium face off again, this time with 3rd place at stake," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'defender.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.