as in guardians
someone that protects
one of the traditional roles of an older brother is that of schoolyard defender
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Recent Examples of defenders
Having a dominant interior presence who draws extra defenders, Thomas said, could do wonders for a scorer wired to attack gaps.
—
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
Seattle has four different defenders who recorded 50-plus pressures this season, including defensive tackles Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II (seven sacks apiece).
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
Opposing teams continue to try to take away Minnesota’s back cuts by sinking defenders into the lane, primarily on Langston Reynolds.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Sampson said Dybantsa reminds him the most of Anthony, who could elevate and use his long arms to shoot over defenders.
—Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, 7 Feb. 2026
Bad Bunny's defenders say his performance will showcase America's diversity and a star beloved by a burgeoning younger audience.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
Logan Graham, head of Anthropic’s frontier red team, told Axios that the company views cybersecurity as a competition between offense and defense, and wants to ensure defenders get access to these tools first.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
One of Washington’s primary tasks will be helping new addition Luis Arraez, who has been one of baseball’s worst defenders since entering the league.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
From further out, not only are there fewer examples, but a range of harder-to-capture details — such as ball speed, the goalkeeper’s weight shifting and whether defenders obscure their keeper’s line of sight — play a much greater role.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
Seattle has four different defenders who recorded 50-plus pressures this season, including defensive tackles Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II (seven sacks apiece).
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
Opposing teams continue to try to take away Minnesota’s back cuts by sinking defenders into the lane, primarily on Langston Reynolds.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Sampson said Dybantsa reminds him the most of Anthony, who could elevate and use his long arms to shoot over defenders.
—Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, 7 Feb. 2026
Bad Bunny's defenders say his performance will showcase America's diversity and a star beloved by a burgeoning younger audience.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
Logan Graham, head of Anthropic’s frontier red team, told Axios that the company views cybersecurity as a competition between offense and defense, and wants to ensure defenders get access to these tools first.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
One of Washington’s primary tasks will be helping new addition Luis Arraez, who has been one of baseball’s worst defenders since entering the league.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
From further out, not only are there fewer examples, but a range of harder-to-capture details — such as ball speed, the goalkeeper’s weight shifting and whether defenders obscure their keeper’s line of sight — play a much greater role.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenders
Noun
-
Remember parents, guardians and adults make mistakes.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2026
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In an email sent to students’ guardians on Friday, the district said an altercation occurred between students just outside Raytown South High School during dismissal of school for the day.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Pricing structures vary between dealers, retirement-account transactions often require coordination with custodians and storage providers, and purchases frequently involve direct interaction with company representatives.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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But details of the city’s budget process show all sides had a hand in making the decisions that led to the custodians getting laid off.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Some screen protectors can also dampen whatever color benefits CoE tech produces.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Because both operate better as income protectors versus income producers, experts recommend limiting the precious metal portion of your portfolio to a maximum of 10%.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Council should start by strengthening protections so that teaching artists can continue to serve the New Yorkers who need them without unnecessary delays.—
Kimberly Olsen,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
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Carr’s action restores competitive neutrality by allowing Verizon to follow the Consumer Code for Wireless Service, the voluntary industry standard adopted in 2013 that governs unlocking transparency, timing and military protections.—
Roslyn Layton,
Boston Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Educators and parents in the district have been working as chauffeurs, delivery drivers, bodyguards, and deterrence squads.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
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But as Duterte’s father, Vicente, had increasingly gravitated toward Malacañang, his son hung out with the family bodyguards—and crafted the persona of a rough-talking bugoy, or hoodlum, in his native Bisayan tongue.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The team’s mean average height is 6-foot-4 due to the notable shortness of main rotation guards Tre Jones (6-foot-1) and Rob Dillingham (6-foot-2) and two-way guards Yuki Kawamura (5-foot-7) and Mac McClung (6-foot-2).—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
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The team is paying a ton of money to starting guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, so Zavala’s only avenue for playing time is as backup insurance.—
Mike Kaye
February 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defenders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defenders. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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