Defend

Quick meaning: Defend is a verb meaning (transitive) To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.

Meaning

(transitive) To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.

More Meanings

1. (transitive) To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.
2. (transitive, law) To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).
3. (sports) To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
4. (poker slang) To call a raise from the big blind.
5. (transitive, obsolete) To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).
6. (cricket) Mostly in tests. The action of not putting force into hitting a shot, but to conserve energy and wear down bowlers so they can attack later.
7. (sports) To attempt to retain a title, or attempt to reach the same stage in a competition as one did in the previous instance of that competition.

Example Sentences

The teams strategy was to defend but score runs as well for the first 20 overs.

The vertue is, that neither steele, nor stone The stroke thereof from entrance may defend[…].

Philip Miles, defending, said: "This was a single instance, there was no allegation of continuing behaviour over a long period of time."

Justice Elena Kagan on Thursday defended the code of conduct the Supreme Court created last year, but conceded there needs to be a way to enforce the rules for it to be more effective.

Word Forms

• defends
• defending
• defended
• defendest
• defendedst
• defendeth

Synonyms for defend

Depending on context, synonyms include beshield, beward, brood, fend, guard, preserve.

Antonyms for defend

Common opposites include attack, assail, prosecute.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include guard, hold, champion, maintain, support, fight.

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