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 The clergy asked them to be ready to defend their neighbors in the coming days. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025 It must be claimed, fought for, and continuously defended. Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025 This controversial practice— likened to razing a forest just to catch a few birds— tears up fragile seafloor habitats, indiscriminately kills marine organisms, releases carbon stored in ocean sediment, and undermines the very ecosystems these protections were designed to defend. Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025 Andrew Cuomo spent $60 million of your money to defend himself in court. Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for defend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defend
Verb
  • No one disputes that a government’s first responsibility is to protect its own citizens.
    Michael Sheldrick, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • Agnes has born the brunt of the harshness of the world, and Ada has been protected.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • In the show’s April 15 premiere, Jax strives to justify his actions in a confessional interview.
    Kate Aurthur, Variety, 18 June 2025
  • This pattern suggests potential sensitivity to macroeconomic shocks. LLY Valuation Sensitivity: The company’s elevated multiple, while justified by growth prospects, creates vulnerability to any disappointment in execution or market sentiment shifts.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • The 5 Best Shower Filters to Save Your Skin and Hair from Hard Water Tips to Improve Water Quality To ensure that your home has healthy, clean water for drinking and bathing, here are a few tips to consider to safeguard your water supply.
    Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2025
  • The Del is a living testament to safeguarding our past.
    Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
Verb
  • While relationships — particularly those with elements of the fanbase — were fractured by the time of Messi’s departure in the summer of 2025, sources close to the French club — who will remain anonymous to protect relationships — maintain there are no regrets over his signing.
    Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • Bears could starve, groups maintained, and their populations could plummet again.
    Christine Peterson, Vox, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton has exercised his player option for the 2025-26 season, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.
    Eric Nehm, New York Times, 21 June 2025
  • At Friday’s hearing, he is also set to address a state request to limit troops under federal control to guarding federal buildings, and to bar them from accompanying Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on the workplace raids that sparked the protests.
    Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • The Supreme Court upheld a law that allows Americans injured by acts of terror in the Middle East to take Palestinian leadership groups to U.S. courts for damages.
    Boston Herald editorial staff, Boston Herald, 22 June 2025
  • The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
    Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Defend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defend. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on defend

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