Dictionary

defend en · VERB

Pronunciation

• [dəˈfe̝nd] ~ [dəˈfɪnd] (New-Zealand)
• /dɪˈfɪnd/ (US, pin-pen-merger)
• (US) audio
• /dɪˈfɛnd/ (Canada, General-American)
• /diˈfɛnd/ (Canada, General-American)
• /dɪˈfɛnd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• [dəˈfend] ~ [dəˈfe̞nd] (Australia)
• /dəˈfɛnd/ (Canada, General-American)
• /dəˈfend/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• /diˈfɪnd/ (US, pin-pen-merger)
• /dəˈfɪnd/ (US, pin-pen-merger)

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.

Meanings

1. (ditransitive, transitive) To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard. ▸ To ward off attacks against (something or someone).
   • 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. 2019 July 15, Greg Afinogenov, “The Jewish Case for Open Borders”, in Jewish Currents, number Summer 2019:
2. (ditransitive, intransitive) To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard. ▸ To ward off attacks from (something or someone).
3. (transitive) To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.
   • 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. 2024 July 25, Devan Cole, “Justice Elena Kagan says Supreme Court’s code of conduct needs an enforcement plan. Takeaways from her wide-ranging comments.”, in CNN:
4. (transitive) To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).
   • Philip Miles, defending, said: "This was a single instance, there was no allegation of continuing behaviour over a long period of time." 2011 December 14, Steven Morris, “Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave”, in The Guardian:
5. To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. (slang) To call a raise from the big blind.
9. (obsolete, transitive) To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).
   • The vertue is, that neither steele, nor stone The stroke thereof from entrance may defend[…]. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
10. (obsolete, transitive) To prevent, to keep (from doing something).
11. (intransitive, obsolete, transitive) To prohibit, forbid.
    • 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 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “ij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book XVIII:

Forms

Antonyms

attack

Deriveds

defending · misdefend · defendant · underdefend · defendee · dexify · outdefend · defender · redefend · defendable

Relateds

defensive · fend · defense · indulge · fender · defence · fend off · forfend

Synonyms

beward · cape for · ward · preserve · brood · fend · defend · guard · protect · shelter · beshield · safeguard · shield · secure

Translations (123)

qu amachay (ward off attacks against) · la defensō (ward off attacks against) · ms membela (ward off attacks against) · bg браня́ (ward off attacks against) · ky коргоо (ward off attacks against) · fr défendre (ward off attacks against) · cy amddiffyn (ward off attacks against) · la supersum (ward off attacks against) · ga cosain (ward off attacks against) · sip སྐྱོང་བོ (ward off attacks against) · la teneō (ward off attacks against) · is verja (ward off attacks against) · ota قوریمق (ward off attacks against) · az müdafiə etmək (ward off attacks against) · it proteggere (ward off attacks against) · es volver por sí (ward off attacks against) · ja 防ぐ (ward off attacks against) · no forsvare (ward off attacks against) · tk goramak (ward off attacks against) · pl bronić (ward off attacks against) · tr savunmak (ward off attacks against) · sv värja (ward off attacks against) · sq ru (ward off attacks against) · be абараня́ць (ward off attacks against) · hu megvéd (ward off attacks against) · no beskytte (ward off attacks against) · cu бранити (ward off attacks against) · bg защита́вам (ward off attacks against) · mn хамгаалах (ward off attacks against) · mi wawao (ward off attacks against) · be абарані́ць (ward off attacks against) · sq mbroj (ward off attacks against) · ja 守る (ward off attacks against) · km ការពារ (ward off attacks against) · pt proteger (ward off attacks against) · ru обороня́ть (ward off attacks against) · ar دَافَعَ (ward off attacks against) · ro apăra (ward off attacks against) · vi bảo vệ (ward off attacks against) · bni batela (ward off attacks against) · uz himoya qilmoq (ward off attacks against) · tk penalamak (ward off attacks against) · vi che chở (ward off attacks against) · th ป้องกัน (ward off attacks against) · lv aizstāvēt (ward off attacks against) · da forsvare (ward off attacks against) · tg дифоъ кардан (ward off attacks against) · eo defendi (ward off attacks against) · kk қорғау (ward off attacks against) · non verja (ward off attacks against) · fa دفاع کردن (ward off attacks against) · ka დაცვა (ward off attacks against) · ka მოგერიება (ward off attacks against) · ca defensar (ward off attacks against) · sv försvara (ward off attacks against) · nl verdedigen (ward off attacks against) · mfe defann (ward off attacks against) · cs bránit (ward off attacks against) · uk обороня́ти (ward off attacks against) · hu véd (ward off attacks against) · el υπερασπίζομαι (ward off attacks against) · cmn 保衛 /保卫 (ward off attacks against) · el υπεραμύνομαι (ward off attacks against) · my ကာကွယ် (ward off attacks against) · hi रक्षा करना (ward off attacks against) · az qorumaq (ward off attacks against) · sk brániť (ward off attacks against) · ur دفاع کرنا (ward off attacks against) · sa रक्षति (ward off attacks against) · vi chống giữ (ward off attacks against) · oc defendre (ward off attacks against) · ang bewerian (ward off attacks against) · it difendere (ward off attacks against) · tg муҳофизат кардан (ward off attacks against) · sl braniti (ward off attacks against) · nrf d'fendre (ward off attacks against) · la tutor (ward off attacks against) · ps مدافعه کول (ward off attacks against) · cmn 捍衛 /捍卫 (ward off attacks against) · la tueor (ward off attacks against) · ko 방어하다 (ward off attacks against) · mi whakangungu (ward off attacks against) · lt ginti (ward off attacks against) · sh бранити (ward off attacks against) · tr korumak (ward off attacks against) · alt корыыр (ward off attacks against) · pt defender (ward off attacks against) · la dēfendō (ward off attacks against) · ru защити́ть (ward off attacks against) · ht defann (ward off attacks against) · uk оборони́ти (ward off attacks against) · ru защища́ть (ward off attacks against) · ru оборони́ть (ward off attacks against) · mk брани (ward off attacks against) · lo ປ້ອງກັນ (ward off attacks against) · es defensar (ward off attacks against) · uk захисти́ти (ward off attacks against) · ru оберега́ть (ward off attacks against) · dlm defendar (ward off attacks against) · hy պաշտպանել (ward off attacks against) · mk заштитува (ward off attacks against) · uk захища́ти (ward off attacks against) · uz mudofaa qilmoq (ward off attacks against) · rup apãr (ward off attacks against) · no verne (ward off attacks against) · fi puolustaa (ward off attacks against) · ru бере́чь (ward off attacks against) · gl defender (ward off attacks against) · ln batela (ward off attacks against) · ug مۇداپىئە قىلماق (ward off attacks against) · cic ittafama (ward off attacks against) · arz حامى (ward off attacks against) · cmn 守衛 /守卫 (ward off attacks against) · de verteidigen (ward off attacks against) · mi whakawawao (ward off attacks against) · ca defendre (ward off attacks against) · he הֵגֵן (ward off attacks against) · es defender (ward off attacks against) · el αμύνομαι (ward off attacks against) · et kaitsma (ward off attacks against) · bn রক্ষা করা (ward off attacks against) · eo protekti (ward off attacks against) · sh braniti (ward off attacks against)