defend
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /dɪˈfɛnd/
ipa: /dɪˈfɛnd/
ipa: /diˈfɛnd/
ipa: /dəˈfɛnd/
rhymes: -ɛnd
Forms: form: defends
form: defending
form: defended
form: defended
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: defend
form: defend
form: defended
form: defend
form: defendest
form: defended
form: defendedst
form: defends
form: defendeth
form: defended
form: defend
form: defended
form: defend
form: defended
form: defend
form: -
form: defending
form: defended
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.
Senses: examples: text: 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.
ref: 2019 July 15, Greg Afinogenov, “The Jewish Case for Open Borders”, in Jewish Currents, number Summer 2019:
glosses: To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 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:
glosses: To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.
examples: text: Philip Miles, defending, said: "This was a single instance, there was no allegation of continuing behaviour over a long period of time."
ref: 2011 December 14, Steven Morris, “Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave”, in The Guardian:
topics: law
glosses: To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
examples: text: The teams strategy was to defend but score runs as well for the first 20 overs.
topics: ball-games
cricket
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: 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.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: 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.
topics: card-games
poker
glosses: To call a raise from the big blind.
examples: text: The vertue is, that neither steele, nor stone
 The stroke thereof from entrance may defend[…].
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
glosses: To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).
glosses: To prevent, to keep (from doing something).
examples: text: 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
ref: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “ij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book XVIII:
english: “Brother”, said Sir Launcelot, “you know full well that I would be very reluctant to leave this kingdom,
 were it not that the queen had forbidden me so strongly to remain here,
 that it seems to me that she will never again be my lover as once she was”
translation: “Brother”, said Sir Launcelot, “you know full well that I would be very reluctant to leave this kingdom,
 were it not that the queen had forbidden me so strongly to remain here,
 that it seems to me that she will never again be my lover as once she was”
glosses: To prohibit, forbid.
Synonyms: word: beshield
word: beward
word: brood
word: cape for
word: defend
word: fend
word: guard
word: preserve
word: protect
word: safeguard
word: secure
word: shelter
word: shield
word: ward
Derived terms: defendable
defendant
defendee
defender
defending
dexify
misdefend
redefend
underdefend
Related terms: word: defence
word: defense
word: defensive
word: fend
word: fender
word: fend off
word: forfend
word: indulge