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

Morgan Weaver received the ball in the attacking third and, with two Orlando defenders around her, took a shot from long-range that Morché had no chance of saving. — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026

Miami also elevated two edge defenders, Clelin Ferrell and Max Llewellyn from the practice squad to the game-day roster. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026

The lead didn’t last long as the Redhawks (4-2-1) turned two long free kicks by senior defender Calum Bohan into goals by Brady Strang, who was in the right spot at the right time. — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

For most of the season, Young was a plus defender, and the Mets saw tremendous improvements at the position. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 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