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

As the pandemic set in, Garrison occasionally drove downtown in his Cadillac and met with Claude Kelly, the public defender, in his deserted office. —Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

In the 11th minute, SDFC threatened to take a 2-0 lead when Valakari split a pair of Minnesota defenders before blasting a low attempt from the top of the box. —Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026

Wisconsin’s pressure was just as impressive while defending, with forwards applying tons of back pressure to help their defenders. —Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026

The Canadian defender — on a late-window transfer to the Rapids from Toronto FC — made a monstrous impact on Saturday night against the Houston Dynamo in a 6-2 shellacking. —Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 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