1
as in protects
to drive danger or attack away from
a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifies
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defends
The mayor defends past decisions to give employees raises.
—
James Taylor, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
The attorney general oversees a sprawling agency that defends the state in lawsuits, enforces child support laws, oversees public information laws and provides legal guidance to state agencies.
—Philip Jankowski
austin Bureau, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
My husband defends almost all of this.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … CROSSING A LINE — JFK's grandson defends 'aggressive' posts about Vance's wife.
—FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Under the American and British flags, Diego Garcia defends the Indo-Pacific region against aggressors who do not trouble their consciences about laws, pacts, or the rights of weaker nations.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
When our first batch of Faithfuls join, Colton is naturally in the hot seat but defends his bold gameplay.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
For its part, AMD defends the decision to offer Meta and OpenAI ownership stakes in the company.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026
In Thursday's second legs, Juventus hosts two-time champion Wolfsburg with the score 2-2 while Manchester United defends a 3-0 lead at home to Atletico Madrid.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
James Taylor, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
The attorney general oversees a sprawling agency that defends the state in lawsuits, enforces child support laws, oversees public information laws and provides legal guidance to state agencies.
—Philip Jankowski
austin Bureau, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
My husband defends almost all of this.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Continue reading … CROSSING A LINE — JFK's grandson defends 'aggressive' posts about Vance's wife.
—FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026
Under the American and British flags, Diego Garcia defends the Indo-Pacific region against aggressors who do not trouble their consciences about laws, pacts, or the rights of weaker nations.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
When our first batch of Faithfuls join, Colton is naturally in the hot seat but defends his bold gameplay.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
For its part, AMD defends the decision to offer Meta and OpenAI ownership stakes in the company.
—Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026
In Thursday's second legs, Juventus hosts two-time champion Wolfsburg with the score 2-2 while Manchester United defends a 3-0 lead at home to Atletico Madrid.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defends
Verb
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Speech — Intimidation as censorship The First Amendment protects disputable speech, not agreeable.—
Brielle Miller,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Mar. 2026
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Competitive elections strengthen democracy, and state leaders should reexamine a system that protects party insiders and sidelines would-be challengers long before voters get their say.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This justifies using the average premium SVOD churn rate, even though Paramount+ has traditionally fallen short of it.—
Andrew Root,
Sportico.com,
27 Feb. 2026
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The constraint, Dolci says, is not audience demand – the performance of existing screens more than justifies expansion – but the availability of suitable sites.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mojtaba Khamenei maintains close ties with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the paramilitary force that has been launching missiles and drones toward Israel and Gulf states during the conflict.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The fabric is also yarn-dyed for a rich color that maintains its vibrancy, even after many washes.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Chait has extensive experience presenting to the Board of Education and unfailingly upholds the administration’s perspective.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
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The Constitutional Court upholds Yoon’s impeachment and removes him as president, triggering an election within 60 days to choose his successor.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Resting supports your long-term resilience.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Nonfat yogurt still supports steady glucose thanks to its protein content.—
Brittany Poulson,
Verywell Health,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defends. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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