as in protected
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in guarded
to drive danger or attack away from
a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defended
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 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
CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
Democrats have questioned whether her transfer was premised upon her willingness to sit for that interview, but Blanche has defended the move.
—Maegan Vazquez The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2026
Søe will be tested immediately by a San Jose side that has defended well enough to keep matches tight and opportunistic enough to punish mistakes.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
The game before the Lakers’ nine-game win streak began, Smart spent time in a Denver locker room speaking about Ayton – who missed most of that night’s 120-113 loss to the Nuggets with knee soreness – and defended his locker room neighbor.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
Trump repeatedly publicly praised and defended Bondi but also showed flashes of impatience with his attorney general’s efforts to meet his demands to prosecute his rivals.
—Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
White, the neonatologist who stopped enrolling patients in the study, defended the decision to conduct it.
—David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
Then, the Mexican lost the belt in 2024 to Shevchenko, who successfully defended her title twice last year.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
People on both sides defended these ideas around the world.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Such endurance is central to the aircraft’s role in long-range deterrence operations and potential missions in heavily defended regions.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 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
The Education Department has defended the effort, arguing taxpayers deserve transparency on how money is spent at institutions that receive federal funding.
—CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
Democrats have questioned whether her transfer was premised upon her willingness to sit for that interview, but Blanche has defended the move.
—Maegan Vazquez The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2026
Søe will be tested immediately by a San Jose side that has defended well enough to keep matches tight and opportunistic enough to punish mistakes.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
The game before the Lakers’ nine-game win streak began, Smart spent time in a Denver locker room speaking about Ayton – who missed most of that night’s 120-113 loss to the Nuggets with knee soreness – and defended his locker room neighbor.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
Trump repeatedly publicly praised and defended Bondi but also showed flashes of impatience with his attorney general’s efforts to meet his demands to prosecute his rivals.
—Michelle L. Price, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
White, the neonatologist who stopped enrolling patients in the study, defended the decision to conduct it.
—David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
Then, the Mexican lost the belt in 2024 to Shevchenko, who successfully defended her title twice last year.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
People on both sides defended these ideas around the world.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defended
Adjective
-
If your income comes primarily from protected sources like Social Security or disability benefits, a court judgment may pose little immediate threat.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The Surgeon General's office, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are banned for 10 years from wielding legal, regulatory or economic pressure to persuade the platforms to remove protected speech.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In it, after her fisherman husband disappears at sea, Telsi takes a job as a cleaning lady on a boat moored at the local marina, guarded by a group of women.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Suddenly the island’s shores, always guarded, opened for those who wanted to leave.—
Sarah Moreno,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This view of the presidency has justified his executive orders at home and tariffs that affect the global economy.—
Steven Sloan,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The opioid crisis alone justified a generation of skepticism.—
Vikas Patel,
STAT,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Leon’s invention secured interest from Gaston himself, who came to see him in Venezuela in 1987.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In 2025 district attorneys filed charges in four cases referred to their offices and secured convictions in three.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Protect Civilian Infrastructure All sides should cease strikes on civilian targets and critical infrastructure, including energy facilities, desalination plants and safeguarded nuclear sites, in line with international humanitarian law.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The Panthers have safeguarded the depth at the position by bringing back Franks, a special teams ace, and Mitchell.—
Mike Kaye
March 26,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Officials said most passengers were not wearing life jackets and that the boat appeared poorly maintained.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
He’s considered the best golfer on the planet right now, according to the Official World Golf Ranking, a spot he’s maintained for 146 consecutive weeks, Gold Ranking Stats data shows.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Astronomers typically find such volatile ices only in very cold and shielded environments, such as dense molecular clouds, the envelopes surrounding young stellar objects, or the disks where planets form.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
As is customary, terms of the settlement were not revealed and will likely remain shielded by non-disclosure and non-disparagement language.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There have been myriad filings and motions since the legal process began, including the Mountain West’s motion to dismiss (denied) counterclaims (mostly upheld).—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The call was upheld after a review, but the White Sox answered in the bottom half against Jeff Hoffman.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defended. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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