defend
verb /dɪˈfend/
/dɪˈfend/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they defend | /dɪˈfend/ /dɪˈfend/ |
| he / she / it defends | /dɪˈfendz/ /dɪˈfendz/ |
| past simple defended | /dɪˈfendɪd/ /dɪˈfendɪd/ |
| past participle defended | /dɪˈfendɪd/ /dɪˈfendɪd/ |
| -ing form defending | /dɪˈfendɪŋ/ /dɪˈfendɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to protect somebody/something from attack
- defend somebody/something The role of the military is to defend the country.
- Troops have been sent to defend the borders.
- defend somebody/something against somebody/something The male birds defend their territory against other males.
- defend somebody/something from somebody/something The cannons once defended the city from attack by sea.
- defend yourself (from/against somebody/something) All our officers are trained to defend themselves against knife attacks.
- defend against somebody/something It is impossible to defend against an all-out attack.
Wordfinder- army
- artillery
- battalion
- command
- defend
- invade
- officer
- regiment
- tactics
- weapon
Wordfinder- aggression
- arms
- army
- attack
- casualty
- conflict
- defend
- hostile
- territory
- war
Extra ExamplesTopics War and conflictb2- She successfully defended herself against an attack from someone larger and stronger.
- The city was heavily defended against attack.
- They attacked the left flank, which was only lightly defended.
- The international community should step into defend the powerless.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- adequately
- effectively
- properly
- …
- against
- [transitive] defend something to protect something that you value and prevent it from being taken away
- The organization works to defend human rights wherever they are threatened.
- Freedom must always be defended.
- The ruling class will always defend its own interests.
- People must be vigilant in defending civil liberties regardless of external threats.
- [transitive] to say or write something in support of somebody/something that has been criticized
- They defended their decision to pull out of the event.
- The minister vigorously defended the policy.
- How can you defend such behaviour?
- I realized I couldn't logically defend my position.
- defend somebody/something against somebody/something The article seeks to defend him against charges of hypocrisy.
- defend somebody/something from somebody/something Her colleagues united in defending her from further personal attacks.
- defend yourself (from/against somebody/something) Politicians are skilled at defending themselves against their critics.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumentb2- The company has strenuously defended its decision to reduce the workforce.
- She was quick to defend her husband's actions.
- She defended her department against accusations of incompetence.
- I will strenuously defend your right to say what you think.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- actively
- aggressively
- fiercely
- …
- against
- [intransitive, transitive] (in sports) to protect your own goal to stop your opponents from scoring
- They were forced to defend for long periods.
- defend something Moody and Moran defended their goal well.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- adequately
- effectively
- properly
- …
- against
opposite attack - [transitive] defend something to take part in a competition that you won the last time and try to win it again
- He is defending champion.
- She will be defending her title at next month's championships.
- The champion successfully defended his title against the American challenger.
- (politics) He intends to defend his seat in the next election.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- successfully
- against
- [transitive, intransitive] to act as a lawyer for somebody who has been charged with a crime
- defend (somebody) He has employed one of the UK's top lawyers to defend him.
- Who's defending?
- defend yourself Smith has announced that she will defend herself in the case.
compare prosecute
protect against attack/loss
support
in sport
in competitions
law
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French defendre, from Latin defendere, from de- ‘off’ + -fendere ‘to strike’. Compare with offend.