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

Pulisic wound up for a kick on his right foot when a Belgian defender stepped in front of him. — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 July 2026

And defender Tim Ream has no business on the national team moving forward. — Miami Herald, 7 July 2026

Malik Freeman’s blast skimmed off a defender, wrong-footing Belgium’s world-class goalkeeper. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026

Belgium’s Hans Vanaken thumped it into the goal past defender Tim Ream, who flailed lamely as Belgium scored. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 7 July 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