What does "defend" mean?
To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.
Defend
/dɪˈfɛnd/ verb, slang
verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.
- Grammar: defend is listed as verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: guard, protect, safeguard, shield.
- Useful contrasts: damning, embarrassing, forsaken.
- Usage evidence: We have to defend our country from the foreign aggression.
How to use "defend"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "defend" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "defend" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "defend" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "defend" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "defend" is acting as verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "guard" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "defend", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard. transitive
"Most Zionists hoped for a state of their own, but early in the 20th century, writers like Hillel Solotaroff and Chaim Zhitlowsky, both Yiddish-speaking immigrant intellectuals in New York, imagined another alternative: a federation of self-governing anarchist communes in Palestine that would defend Jewish life without relying on state power."
- 2 argue or speak in defense of wordnet
- 3 To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of. transitive
"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."
- 4 state or assert wordnet
- 5 To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused). transitive
"Philip Miles, defending, said: "This was a single instance, there was no allegation of continuing behaviour over a long period of time.""
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 fight against or resist strongly wordnet
- 7 To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
- 8 be on the defensive; act against an attack wordnet
- 9 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.
"The teams strategy was to defend but score runs as well for the first 20 overs."
- 10 protect against a challenge or attack wordnet
- 11 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.
- 12 protect or fight for as a champion wordnet
- 13 To call a raise from the big blind. slang
- 14 be the defense counsel for someone in a trial wordnet
- 15 To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker). obsolete, transitive
"The vertue is, that neither steele, nor stone The stroke thereof from entrance may defend[…]."
- 16 To prevent, to keep (from doing something). obsolete, transitive
- 17 To prohibit, forbid. intransitive, obsolete, transitive
"Broder said sir launcelot wete ye wel I am ful lothe to departe oute of this realme but the quene hath defended me soo hyhely that me semeth she wille neuer be my good lady as she hath ben"
Antonyms
Example
"We have to defend our country from the foreign aggression."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "defend"?
Common synonyms include: guard, protect, safeguard, shield, support, account.
How do you use "defend" in a sentence?
We have to defend our country from the foreign aggression.
How do you pronounce "defend"?
Pronounced /dɪˈfɛnd/.
Etymology
From Middle English defenden, from Old French defendre, deffendre (Modern French défendre), from Latin dēfendō (“to ward off”), from Proto-Italic *fendō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen-. Displaced native Old English bewerian.