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 Spurs knocked off the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the 2026 Western Conference Finals en route to their first finals appearance since winning the title in 2014.
—
Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
In the first trailer for Adam Wingard’s Onslaught, Adria Arjona plays a young mother and veteran defending her adorable child and trailer park community from an army of what appear to be glowing-eyed super-soldiers built like pro wrestlers.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 2 June 2026
For now, the company seems committed to defending its trademark.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 2 June 2026
Meanwhile, incumbent Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park is defending her District 11 seat from Faizah Malik, a civil rights attorney endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, Los Angeles.
—Paris Barraza, USA Today, 2 June 2026
One swept its way to the finals, the other played beat the defending champs in a seven-game series.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 2 June 2026
Argentina’s national team, defending its 2022 title, is staying at the Origin and training at Sporting Kansas City’s Compass Minerals National Performance Center.
—Ian Cummings, Kansas City Star, 2 June 2026
His metrics defending zone entries took a hit, and fans keyed in on puck management lapses.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Victor Wembanyama is making news these days as a third-year player who has led the San Antonio Spurs to a 2-2 series tie with the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
In the first trailer for Adam Wingard’s Onslaught, Adria Arjona plays a young mother and veteran defending her adorable child and trailer park community from an army of what appear to be glowing-eyed super-soldiers built like pro wrestlers.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 2 June 2026
For now, the company seems committed to defending its trademark.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 2 June 2026
Meanwhile, incumbent Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park is defending her District 11 seat from Faizah Malik, a civil rights attorney endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, Los Angeles.
—Paris Barraza, USA Today, 2 June 2026
One swept its way to the finals, the other played beat the defending champs in a seven-game series.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 2 June 2026
Argentina’s national team, defending its 2022 title, is staying at the Origin and training at Sporting Kansas City’s Compass Minerals National Performance Center.
—Ian Cummings, Kansas City Star, 2 June 2026
His metrics defending zone entries took a hit, and fans keyed in on puck management lapses.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Victor Wembanyama is making news these days as a third-year player who has led the San Antonio Spurs to a 2-2 series tie with the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defending
Verb
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That’s why the original voices of legacy filmmakers are worth protecting, even when some of that group’s AI advocates seem hell-bent on acting against the industry’s long-term best interests.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 May 2026
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This melanin is not foolproof in protecting your skin, though.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The business momentum is clear here, justifying the stock’s strong performance over the past four to five weeks.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
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Perhaps the Thunder would see the upside of a SGA-Giannis-J-Dub core as justifying the risk of cutting down their depth to that extent.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Hong Kong authorities said the law clearly stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
-
Leikauf said his top priorities include safeguarding public funds, increasing efficiency and providing accountability.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
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In simulations, ArrayLink supported up to four simultaneous spatial streams at distances of hundreds of kilometers, while maintaining two streams beyond 2,000 km (1,243 miles).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 May 2026
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Since 2021, Solana Beach has also participated in the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge to support monarch butterflies by maintaining a pollinator garden at City Hall.—
Luke Harold,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Robinson might not draw the primary defensive assignment guarding Spurs star big man Victor Wembanyama, a job that could fall to the Knicks' fleet of wings, but Robinson's offensive rebounding will be critical in not allowing second-chance opportunities.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
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This nickel corner competition will be interesting with Thornton; the soon-to-be second-year player made a play last week guarding wide receiver Chris Brazzell on a deep pass.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
Verb
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There are few guidelines on how to deal with rumors while upholding conventional values of accuracy, verification, and transparency.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
28 May 2026
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About 1 in 3 states didn’t even employ one staffer whose full-time job was to ensure that nonprofit funds were properly managed and that people in their states who ran nonprofits were upholding their financial and ethical duties, according to the survey.—
Sarah Webber,
Fortune,
24 May 2026
Verb
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While that is still a possibility, Breslow hasn’t interviewed any candidates and is right now focused on supporting Tracy.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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The resulting benefits supporting pregnancy care, fertility care, surrogacy, adoption, egg freezing and the like have gained in popularity and made significant impacts.—
Rachel Braun Scherl,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defending. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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