defend

verb

de·​fend di-ˈfend How to pronounce defend (audio)
defended; defending; defends
Synonyms of defend

transitive verb

1
a
: to drive danger or attack away from
defend the castle from invaders
b(1)
: to maintain or support in the face of argument or hostile criticism
defend a theory
couldn't defend their actions
(2)
: to prove (something, such as a doctoral thesis or dissertation) valid by answering questions in an oral exam
preparing to defend her thesis
c
sports : to attempt to prevent an opponent from scoring at
elects to defend the south goal
2
archaic : prevent, forbid
… which God defend that I should wring from him.—Shakespeare
3
: to act as attorney for
hired a lawyer to defend their son
4
law : to deny or oppose the right of a plaintiff in regard to (a suit or a wrong charged) : contest
5
: to retain or seek to retain (something, such as a title or position) against a challenge in a contest
they successfully defended their championship

intransitive verb

1
: to take action against attack or challenge
the defending champion
2
sports : to play or be on defense
playing deep to defend against a pass
3
card games : to play against the high bidder
defendable
di-ˈfen-də-bəl How to pronounce defend (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of defend

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defend, protect, shield, guard, safeguard mean to keep secure from danger or against attack.

defend denotes warding off actual or threatened attack.

defend the country

protect implies the use of something (such as a covering) as a bar to the admission or impact of what may attack or injure.

a hard hat to protect your head

shield suggests protective intervention in imminent danger or actual attack.

shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand

guard implies protecting with vigilance and force against expected danger.

White House entrances are well guarded

safeguard implies taking precautionary protective measures against merely possible danger.

our civil liberties must be safeguarded

synonyms see in addition maintain

Examples of defend in a Sentence

The company must defend its own interests. We believed it was a cause worth defending. She defended her friend's behavior. Stop defending him. What he did was wrong.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And Kelce, who is back for his 14th NFL season, made his first catch of the preseason on the Chiefs’ opening drive against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026 The draw looks pretty good for Paul to get to a possible fourth-round matchup with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is returning to the singles court for the first time since suffering a wrist injury in April. — Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Not only this, but overseeding will also add young, spry grass which helps the whole lawn better defend itself against diseases and heat stress. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026 The 48-year-old just fiercely defended him in a lengthy statement to UsWeekly. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defend

Word History

Etymology

Middle English defenden, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French defendre, defender, going back to Latin dēfendere "to ward off, fend off, repel danger from, protect," from dē- de- + -fendere, presumably, "to strike, hit" (unattested without prefixes), going back to Indo-European *gwhen-dh-, extended determinate form of *gwhen-, *gwhn- "strike, kill," whence Hittite kuenzi "(s/he) kills," kunanzi "(they) kill," Sanskrit hánti "(s/he) strikes, kills," ghnánti "(they) strike, kill," Greek theínein "to strike," épethnon "(I) killed," Old Irish gonaid "(s/he) pierces, wounds, kills," Welsh gwan- "stab, pierce," Lithuanian genù, giñti "to drive (cattle, etc.)," Old Church Slavic ženǫ, gŭnati "to drive, chase out, expel"; also, from nominal derivative *gwhon-, Greek phónos "bloodshed, murder," and from *gwhń̥-tih2, Germanic *gunþī, *gunþjō, whence Old English gūþ "battle, combat," Old Saxon gūđea, Old High German gund-, Old Icelandic gunnr, guðr

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of defend was in the 14th century

Rhymes for defend

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Browse Nearby Words

defence
defend
defendable
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Cite this Entry

“Defend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defend. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

defend

verb
de·​fend di-ˈfend How to pronounce defend (audio)
1
: to repel danger or attack
defending their own country
2
: to act as attorney for
3
: to oppose the claim of another in a lawsuit : contest
4
: to uphold against opposition
defended the freedom of the press

Legal Definition

defend

transitive verb
de·​fend
1
: to drive danger or attack away from
using a weapon to defend oneself
2
: to act as attorney for (a defendant)
appointed to defend the accused
3
: to deny or oppose the rights of a plaintiff in regard to (a suit or claim)
intend to defend the case

intransitive verb

1
: to take action against attack or challenge
not justified in striking first, but may defend
2
: to present a defense
may not thereafter defend on grounds of insanity—W. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.
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