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

If circumstances had gone Spain’s way with more clinical finishing or a Cape Verde defender making a mistake, then the result would have been different and a lot of the chatter currently happening (including here) would likely not be happening. —Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 21 June 2026

On the first, the Napoli star was taken down by multiple defenders inside the box, leaving him again looking in exasperation at referee Ilgiz Tantashev. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 June 2026

The rule was, in part, put in place after Brazil star Vinicius Junior alleged that defender Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth and directed anti-LGBTQ statements toward the forward. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 20 June 2026

The Netherlands struck first when legendary defender Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring with one of his trademark headers. —Bryan Preston, FOXNews.com, 20 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