as in protected
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1
as in guarded
to drive danger or attack away from
a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justified
to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections
she will pigheadedly defend any claim regardless of all evidence to the contrary
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defended
Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
The extended range allows aircraft to strike without entering heavily defended zones, reducing risk to pilots and platforms.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 23 Apr. 2026
Private firefighting outfits defended companies, utilities, and ultrarich enclaves while other parts of the city burned.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
Ringo recorded a defended pass and recovered the fumble Campbell forced.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
In the first three games of the year, DeJean recorded 22 tackles and a defended pass.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
In 11 games for Wisconsin, Lucas recorded 18 tackles, one interception and three defended passes.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
Zahra Ullah, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
Trump has defended the gift as a way to save tax dollars.
—Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 2 May 2026
In 1922, Carmichael and Jones defended two Black Shriners organizations -- the Mystic Shrines in both Little Rock and Houston -- after white Shriners organizations sued to prevent them from using the Shriners name.
—Arkansas Online, 2 May 2026
Herbst defended his right to investigate claims of fraud by any city employee without permission from the commission.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
Jokic and Murray both defended him after the Game 6 loss.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
Hernandez defended her record, saying she’s cleaned up homeless encampments and shielded critical services from budget cuts.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Scott Munro, head of the NYPD Detective’s Endowment Association, defended the officers’ actions.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
And, the 76ers defended well and were resilient.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Some defended efforts by staff to correct the books, while others demanded answers on how the accounting error had gone unnoticed through three full audit cycles.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
The extended range allows aircraft to strike without entering heavily defended zones, reducing risk to pilots and platforms.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 23 Apr. 2026
Private firefighting outfits defended companies, utilities, and ultrarich enclaves while other parts of the city burned.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
Ringo recorded a defended pass and recovered the fumble Campbell forced.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
In the first three games of the year, DeJean recorded 22 tackles and a defended pass.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
In 11 games for Wisconsin, Lucas recorded 18 tackles, one interception and three defended passes.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
Verb
Putin has defended the restrictions as necessary for public safety.
—Zahra Ullah, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
Trump has defended the gift as a way to save tax dollars.
—Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 2 May 2026
In 1922, Carmichael and Jones defended two Black Shriners organizations -- the Mystic Shrines in both Little Rock and Houston -- after white Shriners organizations sued to prevent them from using the Shriners name.
—Arkansas Online, 2 May 2026
Herbst defended his right to investigate claims of fraud by any city employee without permission from the commission.
—Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
Jokic and Murray both defended him after the Game 6 loss.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
Hernandez defended her record, saying she’s cleaned up homeless encampments and shielded critical services from budget cuts.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Scott Munro, head of the NYPD Detective’s Endowment Association, defended the officers’ actions.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
And, the 76ers defended well and were resilient.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defended
Adjective
-
An informed voter is a protected democracy.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
Officials said the outreach will also include information about changes affecting certain non-citizens, including refugees, asylees and others with protected status.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
But Urban, who is guarded about his personal life, extends that thinking to his work as well.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
There, in the scorching desert, guarded by fences and video surveillance, this fish swims around in a sunken fishbowl made of rock that's been its only natural home for millennia.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Gerrymanders that discriminate against Black voters could be justified today as merely offering partisan advantage to Republicans.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
-
Recent polling suggests that roughly 30% of young Americans hold the view that political violence can be justified in certain circumstances.—
Andrew Cuomo,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
According to the evaluation, 83% of participants receiving housing subsidies remained housed after one year, exceeding the program’s retention goal, while 56% of 460 participants studied obtained subsidies and secured housing.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
The site design also features restroom facilities, laundry machines, internet access and a secured perimeter with around-the-clock onsite security.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Our elections must be safeguarded from foreign interference.—
Kevin Fixler
May 3,
Idaho Statesman,
3 May 2026
-
The system successfully protected the data center from grid instability and also safeguarded the grid from the major load swings generated by the data center.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
What matters is the quality standard being maintained and the commitment to the customer.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
-
Dancing with controversial men’s rights activists While Peters has maintained a general apathy toward political thought, that hasn’t kept him from cozying up to some of the most controversial figures in the manosphere.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
The ship itself is packed with detail from turrets through to tiny shielded hangars.—
Chris McMullen,
Space.com,
1 May 2026
-
Purchasing a shielded Ethernet cable means the wires are protected from electromagnetic interference, so the cables operate more efficiently.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Then a non-replacement replay official — who normally held a managerial role and wasn’t in the union — somehow upheld it.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In February 2025, a state appeals court upheld the jury’s verdict, ruling that Missouri’s laws requiring companies to warn of dangers are not preempted by federal law.—
Sarah J. Morath,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defended. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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