Synonyms of defending

defending

verb

present participle of defend

1

as in protecting

to drive danger or attack away from

a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost

Synonyms & Similar Words

• protecting
• safeguarding
• guarding
• shielding
• securing
• keeping
• fending
• warding
• preventing
• saving
• fencing
• covering
• preserving
• opposing
• screening
• bulwarking
• forfending
• standing up for
• conserving
• resisting
• fighting
• withstanding
• contending
• averting
• warring
• battling
• picketing
• buffering
• walling
• palisading

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• attacking
• assaulting
• assailing
• bombarding
• storming
• submitting
• besieging
• overrunning
• besetting
• yielding
• caving
• capitulating

2

as in justifying

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 & Similar Words

• justifying
• maintaining
• upholding
• supporting
• advocating
• asserting
• affirming
• proclaiming
• championing
• discussing
• arguing
• confirming
• vindicating
• insisting
• sticking up for
• claiming
• protesting
• standing up for
• stating
• espousing
• contending
• pleading
• emphasizing
• debating
• professing
• averring
• warranting
• stressing
• underscoring
• underlining
• avowing
• avouching

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• withdrawing
• abandoning
• forsaking
• retracting
• reversing
• switching
• taking back
• refuting
• recanting
• abjuring
• rebutting
• disproving
• controverting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of defending

Republicans can lose no more than three seats this cycle and are defending more than half a dozen in battleground states. — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026

An official of Congo's ruling party UDPS, Marie-Célestin Karondwa, was attacked by unknown suspects Sunday for defending the government's measures against Ebola on a radio program and was in critical condition, according to the UDPS. — Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026

In defending the campaign, the White House published a list of PSAs from recent Democratic and Republican administrations. — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Its forces, which were already at an advantage because of their better training and equipment, focused on defending the border with Zambia, increasing intelligence gathering, and making adaptations to their equipment as needed. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

One stuck out, an inmate around Pendley’s age who had accidentally killed a man in a bar fight while defending his wife. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026

And as this dependency has grown, so, too, have countries’ concerns about defending their assets in space. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026

Eala upset defending champion Iga Swiatek on Centre Court in the third round of Wimbledon this year and then earned her first WTA Tour title in Washington. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Responses were due by noon PT today, with the AGs and Paramount both defending the settlement. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026