defend
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to protect someone or something from a physical attack or danger.
to ward off an attack or protect a person, place, or object from physical harm.
Simple“The soldiers worked through the night to defend the city from the approaching army.”
In context“The fortress was strategically positioned on the cliffside to defend the harbor against naval incursions during the winter months.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to speak or write in favor of something when other people are criticizing it.
to support or justify an action, idea, or person by argument or evidence.
Simple“She had to defend her decision to quit her job when her parents questioned her.”
In context“The professor spent the entire seminar defending his controversial thesis against a barrage of criticism from his peers.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
to act as a lawyer for someone who has been accused of a crime.
to represent a defendant in a civil or criminal court case.
Simple“A famous lawyer was hired to defend the man accused of the robbery.”
In context“The public defender was tasked with defending the suspect, despite the overwhelming amount of forensic evidence presented by the prosecution.”
- 04 B1 Intermediate
to try to stop the other team from scoring points.
to focus energy on preventing the opposing team from scoring, or to protect one's own goal.
Simple“The team needs to defend better if they want to win the championship this year.”
In context“The coach instructed the players to defend aggressively in the final quarter to preserve their narrow two-point lead.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
to compete in a competition that you won last time to try and win it again.
to compete as the current champion in order to retain a title or trophy.
Simple“The boxer will defend his world title in a match next month.”
In context“Having won the tournament last year, she returned to the court under immense pressure to defend her ranking against younger challengers.”
Usage defend their title · defend himself · defend itself
“It wasn't so safe to live in rural areas either, so the population was more concentrated in certain areas which were easier to defend and had ensured resources.”
“Reflecting on how the game has changed in pre-season, Maresca said: "Usually the team that was defending found the solution by going man-to-man.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.