defend

Synonym Chooser

How is the word defend different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of defend are guard, protect, safeguard, and shield. While all these words mean "to keep secure from danger or against attack," defend denotes warding off actual or threatened attack.

defend the country

When is guard a more appropriate choice than defend?

The meanings of guard and defend largely overlap; however, guard implies protecting with vigilance and force against expected danger.

White House entrances are well guarded

When would protect be a good substitute for defend?

The synonyms protect and defend are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

When might safeguard be a better fit than defend?

Although the words safeguard and defend have much in common, safeguard implies taking precautionary protective measures against merely possible danger.

our civil liberties must be safeguarded

Where would shield be a reasonable alternative to defend?

The words shield and defend are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, shield suggests protective intervention in imminent danger or actual attack.

shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defend Christine Lehmann, a senior capital attorney specializing in defending clients with mental illness and intellectual disabilities, is assisting Youngblut’s legal defense. Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2025 Initially, 82% of the room defended the website as irreplaceable. Fayez Mohamood, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025 De Marco works from a prosecutor’s office in Naples which is defended by armed guards. Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025 Norris struggled to repass Leclerc for second, after the Ferrari had muscled by with the extra grip afforded by his soft tires at the start, with Leclerc’s stout defending then hindering their chase of Verstappen. Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for defend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defend
Verb
  • Frank wanted to sign another senior centre-back in the summer to protect Van de Ven and Romero, who both missed large chunks of last season with muscle issues.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Money that could strengthen communities or fund innovation instead sits idle, protected by leverage and loopholes.
    Scott Ellis, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Ayton doesn’t have to reach the stardom that people once heaped upon him to justify the Lakers’ signing.
    Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The president has cited protests outside Portland’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility to justify the callups of troops in the deep blue city.
    Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The complaint includes causes of action based on the Ohio Constitution, and specifically safeguards for freedom of speech, equal protection and due course of law.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Led by Zurich, played by Trevor Jackson, the group is pushed to their mental and physical limits while trying to maintain their grades, relationships, and sense of self.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The United States maintains overwhelming technological superiority but with increasingly unpredictable commitments.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The federal investigation heightened the public’s scrutiny of city officials who worked closely with the former mayor, including Duffey, who had overseen the Public Works Department when the city sought a new security contractor to guard City Hall and other municipal facilities.
    Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025
  • To the right lay the harbor, its narrow entrance guarded by the grim Morro Castle.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The guarantors demand Hamas uphold its obligations under the ceasefire terms.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
  • In a tribunal hearing in December 2024 that upheld an earlier decision to bar Yang from the UK, it was revealed that Yang was authorized to act on Prince Andrew’s behalf during business meetings with potential Chinese investors in the UK.
    Max Foster, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Defend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defend. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on defend

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