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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defending
The Lakers tied the Detroit Pistons for the second-most wins in the NBA (eight) behind only the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder (10-1), but that wasn’t the only good news the team got on Monday.
—
Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
While repeatedly defending his journalists, Davie did not directly address the threat of the lawsuit during his all-staff call this morning.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Nov. 2025
At the top of the list is defending the 1-4 ball screen, or point guard and 4-man.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025
Maurice then watched the Ducks gorge by scoring seven times against future Hall of Fame goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and his two-time defending champions.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Mobley, who was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for last season, couldn’t do anything about it because he was tasked with defending Jaquez.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2025
The Hornets will wear the uniforms 12 times during the 2025-26 season — all in the comforts of Spectrum Center — beginning with Saturday’s date against defending NBA champion Oklahoma City.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2025
But naturally, Meredith can see right through this plan and refuses to get dragged into this mess — especially when Lisa is already starting to break down at the thought of Meredith not defending her.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Then Vice President Cheney condemned those behind the torture scandal, while at the same time defending water-boarding as a useful means of extracting vital intelligence (many intelligence experts say water-boarding is torture, and its victims will say anything to avoid further abuse).
—Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
While repeatedly defending his journalists, Davie did not directly address the threat of the lawsuit during his all-staff call this morning.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Nov. 2025
At the top of the list is defending the 1-4 ball screen, or point guard and 4-man.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025
Maurice then watched the Ducks gorge by scoring seven times against future Hall of Fame goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and his two-time defending champions.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Mobley, who was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for last season, couldn’t do anything about it because he was tasked with defending Jaquez.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2025
The Hornets will wear the uniforms 12 times during the 2025-26 season — all in the comforts of Spectrum Center — beginning with Saturday’s date against defending NBA champion Oklahoma City.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2025
But naturally, Meredith can see right through this plan and refuses to get dragged into this mess — especially when Lisa is already starting to break down at the thought of Meredith not defending her.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Then Vice President Cheney condemned those behind the torture scandal, while at the same time defending water-boarding as a useful means of extracting vital intelligence (many intelligence experts say water-boarding is torture, and its victims will say anything to avoid further abuse).
—Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defending
Verb
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Democrats have used the government shutdown to call for protecting enhanced tax credits for purchasing health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Nov. 2025
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These veggies appear to be most closely tied to protecting the brain, so try to eat them every day.—
Jennifer Klump,
Verywell Health,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Judge Ellis found that Bovino wasn’t hit in the head with a rock prior to deploying tear gas despite claims from the Department of Homeland Security justifying the use of force.—
Bill Kirkos,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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While working on the project, costs ballooned unexpectedly—reaching well over six figures—and this doctrine became an important reminder when justifying the expenses.—
Michelle Duncan,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The latest specialist minehunting ship left Birkenhead last month to conduct sea trials and some training off the west coast of England and Scotland as the vessel begins its journey to front-line operations safeguarding home waters.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
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In the name of safeguarding the secret mission of the spaceship, HAL kills the crew members.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As competitors resolve technical issues and new entrants pursue next-generation propulsion technologies, GE faces mounting pressure to invest heavily in R & D while maintaining its recent well-above-average margins.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
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While maintaining a healthy weight plays a role in mitigating cardiovascular and diabetes risk, the measurement alone overlooks the importance of muscle as a predictor of healthy aging and longevity.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The podcast allows Kylie to walk the line between sharing details about her family and guarding her privacy.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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The job of guarding the opposition’s top offensive threat usually goes to Nelson.—
Glae Thien,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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His choices force Mickey to constantly balance protecting her family with upholding the law.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
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Together, we are dedicated to upholding the highest standards of respect, safety, and integrity for all participants, staff, and stakeholders.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In 2016, as the Commonwealth moved to censure the Maldives, New Delhi provided diplomatic cover by making the case for engagement over sanctions and supporting the Maldives’ preemptive withdrawal from the organization.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
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Please consider supporting local journalism and getting unlimited digital access.—
Leah Olajide,
Freep.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defending. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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