defend

verb

de·​fend di-ˈfend 

defended; defending; defends

transitive verb

1

a

: to drive danger or attack away from

defend the castle from invaders

b(1)

: to maintain or support in the face of argument or hostile criticism

defend a theory

couldn't defend their actions

(2)

: to prove (something, such as a doctoral thesis or dissertation) valid by answering questions in an oral exam

preparing to defend her thesis

c

sports : to attempt to prevent an opponent from scoring at

elects to defend the south goal

2

archaic : prevent, forbid

… which God defend that I should wring from him.

—Shakespeare

3

: to act as attorney for

hired a lawyer to defend their son

4

law : to deny or oppose the right of a plaintiff in regard to (a suit or a wrong charged) : contest

5

: to retain or seek to retain (something, such as a title or position) against a challenge in a contest

they successfully defended their championship

intransitive verb

1

: to take action against attack or challenge

the defending champion

2

sports : to play or be on defense

playing deep to defend against a pass

3

card games : to play against the high bidder

defendable

di-ˈfen-də-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms of defend

• protect
• safeguard
• guard

Choose the Right Synonym for defend

defend, protect, shield, guard, safeguard mean to keep secure from danger or against attack.

defend denotes warding off actual or threatened attack.

defend the country

protect implies the use of something (such as a covering) as a bar to the admission or impact of what may attack or injure.

a hard hat to protect your head

shield suggests protective intervention in imminent danger or actual attack.

shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand

guard implies protecting with vigilance and force against expected danger.

White House entrances are well guarded

safeguard implies taking precautionary protective measures against merely possible danger.

our civil liberties must be safeguarded

synonyms see in addition maintain

Examples of defend in a Sentence

The company must defend its own interests.

We believed it was a cause worth defending.

She defended her friend's behavior.

Stop defending him. What he did was wrong.

Recent Examples on the Web

After Friday, the Sharks finish the challenging trip with games against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Monday and the Atlantic Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2026

Kirra Pantaleton netted six goals to pace six players in scoring and Sienna Sorensen collected 10 saves as the Monarchs defeated three-time defending Trinity League champion Orange Lutheran 16-9 at Santiago Canyon College. —Dan Albano, Oc Register, 16 Jan. 2026

Fournier’s release served less to inform the beauty press than to defend her client by striking back at a competitor attempting to undermine its integrity; a typical skirmish in the Red Light Wars. —Brennan Kilbane, Allure, 15 Jan. 2026

Some really poor defending at another Albacete corner was punished by a neat finish by Albacete substitute forward Jefte Betancor to put the home side 2-1 up. —Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English defenden, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French defendre, defender, going back to Latin dēfendere "to ward off, fend off, repel danger from, protect," from dē- de- + -fendere, presumably, "to strike, hit" (unattested without prefixes), going back to Indo-European *g^when-d^h-, extended determinate form of *g^when-, *g^whn- "strike, kill," whence Hittite kuenzi "(s/he) kills," kunanzi "(they) kill," Sanskrit hánti "(s/he) strikes, kills," ghnánti "(they) strike, kill," Greek theínein "to strike," épethnon "(I) killed," Old Irish gonaid "(s/he) pierces, wounds, kills," Welsh gwan- "stab, pierce," Lithuanian genù, giñti "to drive (cattle, etc.)," Old Church Slavic ženǫ, gŭnati "to drive, chase out, expel"; also, from nominal derivative *g^whon-, Greek phónos "bloodshed, murder," and from *g^whń̥-tih₂, Germanic *gunþī, *gunþjō, whence Old English gūþ "battle, combat," Old Saxon gūđea, Old High German gund-, Old Icelandic gunnr, guðr

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for defend

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• depend
• descend

Kids Definition

defend

verb

de·​fend di-ˈfend 

1

: to repel danger or attack

defending their own country

2

: to act as attorney for

3

: to oppose the claim of another in a lawsuit : contest

4

: to uphold against opposition

defended the freedom of the press

Legal Definition

defend

transitive verb

de·​fend

1

: to drive danger or attack away from

using a weapon to defend oneself

2

: to act as attorney for (a defendant)

appointed to defend the accused

3

: to deny or oppose the rights of a plaintiff in regard to (a suit or claim)

intend to defend the case

intransitive verb

1

: to take action against attack or challenge

not justified in striking first, but may defend

2

: to present a defense

may not thereafter defend on grounds of insanity

—W. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.