1
as in protects
to drive danger or attack away from
a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Jeffrey Breinholt, an architect of the material support statutes who spent three decades as a federal terrorism prosecutor, defends the laws as crucial to closing loopholes that were exploited by foreign militant groups and their domestic sympathizers.
—
Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonpartisan organization that defends First Amendment rights across the political spectrum, and survey company College Pulse rank the campus speech environment of 257 public and private universities each year.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2025
Continue reading … BIG APPLE BATTLE – NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani defends past tweets.
—FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
But encryption mainly defends against passive attackers.
—Camellia Chan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
This defends against accusations of insider trading for employees who may have access to material nonpublic information.
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
About the Genocide in Gaza The Management Committee of this Festival defends the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
This defends against accusations of insider trading for employees who may have access to material nonpublic information.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Sagittarius is the archer who defends the good against evil.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonpartisan organization that defends First Amendment rights across the political spectrum, and survey company College Pulse rank the campus speech environment of 257 public and private universities each year.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2025
Continue reading … BIG APPLE BATTLE – NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani defends past tweets.
—FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
But encryption mainly defends against passive attackers.
—Camellia Chan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
This defends against accusations of insider trading for employees who may have access to material nonpublic information.
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
About the Genocide in Gaza The Management Committee of this Festival defends the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
This defends against accusations of insider trading for employees who may have access to material nonpublic information.
—Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Sagittarius is the archer who defends the good against evil.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defends
Verb
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The case also wraps around all four side of the iPhone, with the same elevated lip that protects the screen.—
Ben Sin,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Making this distinction prevents overengineering and protects morale, budget, and timeline.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Disney justifies the acquisition because subscribers pay for monthly subscriptions.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
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That justifies the team orders to right a wrong.—
Rob Reed,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
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Johnson, at the Urban Institute, maintains that many seniors are faring a bit worse this year in terms of inflation than the general population.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This upholds a May ruling from the Court of International Trade, but the decision will not go into effect until October 14.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA upholds the right of a certified player agent to negotiate on behalf of his client.—
Steve Silverman,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This adaptability supports a variety of scientific and technological advancements, contributing to the future of space exploration.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
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Caracas denied the allegation, but it is widely believed that the Cartel de los Soles—the Cartel of the Suns—drug organization is led by the Venezuelan armed forces and controls or at least supports Tren de Aragua.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defends. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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