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

Sanderson gets lost in the shuffle with other emerging franchise defenders, but his top comps being Miro Heiskanen, Alex Pietrangelo and Drew Doughty says it all. — Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 22 July 2026

No lawyers were listed in court documents as representing him, and the public defender for the area did not immediately respond to a request for comment. — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 22 July 2026

Carpenter noted that Slawson has been in the gym often and had worked on his decision making while also taking strides as a rangy defender. — Tony East, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

But starting carries some cache, and there will be a spirited competition between Blount (who’s superior to Lightfoot as a run defender) and Lightfoot (a highly skilled pass rusher who’s better as a run defender than his light frame might suggest). — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 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