Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

defend

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of defend

1 to drive danger or attack away from
  • a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost
Synonyms of defend

bulwark, cover, fence, fend, forfend, guard, keep, protect, safeguard, screen, secure, shield, ward
Words Related to defend

avert, prevent

oppose, resist, withstand

battle, contend, fight, war

conserve, preserve, save

buffer, palisade, picket, wall
Phrases Synonymous with defend

stand up for
Near Antonyms of defend

bombard, storm

beset, besiege, overrun

capitulate, cave, submit, yield
Antonyms of defend

assail, assault, attack
2 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
Synonyms of defend

justify, maintain, support, uphold
Words Related to defend

advocate, champion, espouse

confirm, vindicate, warrant

affirm, assert, aver, avouch, avow, claim, contend, insist, plead, proclaim, profess, protest, state

argue, debate, discuss

emphasize, stress, underline, underscore
Phrases Synonymous with defend

stand up for, stick up for
Near Antonyms of defend

abandon, abjure, forsake, recant, retract, take back, withdraw

reverse, switch

controvert, disprove, rebut, refute

Synonym Discussion of 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

Learn More about defend

  1. See words that rhyme with defend Dictionary: Definition of defend Spanish Central: Translation of defend Nglish: Translation of defend for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of defend for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up defend? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

orthography

Listen to the pronounciation of orthography

the way words of a language are spelled

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. crawdad New novel makes waves

  2. non sequitur, sequitur Manafort judge addresses defense

  3. trope AOC tweets against border wall

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games