defending
v. · n.-
1 protecting from attack (v.) B1 Intermediateprotecting someone or something from being hurt or damaged.
acting to protect a person, place, or object from physical harm or aggression.
ExampleThe soldiers were busy defending the city from the approaching army.
ExampleThe coastal batteries were instrumental in defending the harbour against the naval blockade during the height of the conflict.
UsageOften used with the preposition 'against' or 'from'.
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2 supporting an idea (v.) B2 Upper Intermediatespeaking or writing in support of an idea or person when they are being criticized.
providing justification or support for a belief, statement, or individual under scrutiny.
ExampleShe spent the whole meeting defending her choice to change the project's direction.
ExampleThe professor spent the better part of the seminar defending his controversial thesis against a barrage of criticism from his peers.
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3 sports title (v.) B1 Intermediate Sporttrying to win a competition that you won the previous time.
competing to retain a championship or title won in a previous iteration of the event.
ExampleThe young tennis player is defending her title at the tournament this week.
ExampleDefending a world title requires a different psychological approach than the initial pursuit of the championship.
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4 the act of protection (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe action of protecting something or the way a team plays to stop the other side from scoring.
the action of protecting from attack; in a sporting context, the collective tactical effort to prevent the opponent from scoring.
ExampleTheir defending was excellent, and the other team couldn't get near the goal.
ExampleThe coach praised the team's disciplined defending, noting that their spatial awareness had improved significantly since the start of the season.