Thesaurus results for DEFENDER

defender

noun

di-ˈfen-dər

Definition of defender

as in guardian

someone that protects one of the traditional roles of an older brother is that of schoolyard defender

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 defender Soon Rakowski was firing the ball to a wide-open Flowers for a 43-yard touchdown as two helpless Mira Costa defenders gave pursuit. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026 Captain Miguel Almirón found defender Tomás Jacob for the assist in transition. — Amna Subhan, AJC.com, 25 Oct. 2026 Purely as a run defender, PFF rates Robinson 97th among 115 NFL edge rushers. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026 The episode offers a glimpse into a new phase in cybersecurity in which AI helps defenders find vulnerabilities while giving them less time to fix them. — Harry Booth, Time, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defender

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defender

Noun

Officials said that parents and guardians may want to consider requesting a free credit freeze for their children who are under 16 to help prevent unauthorized accounts from being opened in the names of their children.

— Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
ChatGPT is intended for users age 13 and older, and users under 18 need permission from a parent or guardian to use it, OpenAI said.

— Marc Levy, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of guardian

Noun

Some of the firm’s most successful investments included decentralized exchange Uniswap and crypto custodian Anchorage Digital.

— Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
She’s worked as an evidence custodian, and then as a deputy, and has served in a variety of roles, like as a detective, crime scene evidence technician and field training officer.

— Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of custodian

Noun

The 6-foot-7 junior center quickly established herself as one of the nation’s best rim protectors after transferring in from Kentucky last season.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
Mixing puppetry, live theater and Indigenous percussion, the production turns familiar bogeymen into protectors while asking audiences to reconsider who — and what — poses the real danger.

— Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of protector

Noun

Meta has long been criticized for its data privacy practices, and on Wednesday, a New Mexico judge ordered the company to pay $25 billion for violating the state’s consumer protection laws.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
And Paulino’s research into plantas de poder (plants of power), used for spiritual protection in Afro-Brazilian religious traditions, has only deepened, the relationship between her plants and the cycles of day and night becoming more expansive.

— Tatiane de Assis, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of protection

Noun

Iza typically paid Saavedra or his company around $100,000 per month for round-the-clock bodyguards, according to Saavedra’s plea agreement.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Miko served as a bodyguard for Michael Jackson and has worked for the late pop singer’s estate for over 30 years, according to The Guardian.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of bodyguard

Browse Nearby Words

defended

defender

defenders

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Defender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defender. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of defender

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

disparate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes