to defend
∞
1.3
- verb
- /dɪˈfɛnd/
:
defender
- Israel has the right to defend itself and its people.
- defend human rights
- defend the country
- defend the territory
Will cryptography be able to defend all those kinds of things?
- Will cryptography be able to defend all those kinds of things?
- And NATO doesn't attack, it defends members if they are attacked.
- But what to do to defend against U boats?
- Our troops defend our right to freedom.
- He says, Usurper of Pendor, come defend your horde, right?
- And who is going to defend us in our country?
- Like, for example, when the football lads went to defend the statue of Churchill.
- So I, I, if Ukraine can defend against, defend themselves from that, great.
- And before we let you do this, Trump, we will defend ourselves.
- We weren't preparing at all to to defend our imperial positions.
- We would want black people to have the means to defend their black life with firearms.
- Still, the FTX disaster is is not a way to defend yourself.
- So take a stand to defend your race, the human race.
- But no, no one said Kafu can't defend Danny Alves, mate.
Examples
-
The soldiers are trained to defend the country against any threats.
-
If this generation doesn't stand up and defend freedom, it's gone.
-
And it's very hard to defend yourself against a claim like that.
-
And who is going to defend us in our country?
-
So take a stand to defend your race, the human race.
-
If we have property, we shall need arms to defend it.
-
Our troops defend our right to freedom.
-
But when you face aggression, you have to defend yourself, no matter how small you are.
Academic text (1999) -
The group is calling on supporters to defend the land "inherited from our ancestors."
Academic text (2011) -
Addy thought that children ought to be able to defend themselves in case it happened again.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To keep someone or something safe from harm
∞
1.0
Rescue someone or something from danger
418
1.0
To watch and protect a person or place from harm
352
1.9
To protect someone, for example by guarding them in a game
146
2.7
To protect someone or something from harm
64
4.2
To publicly support a cause or person
56
3.3
To protect people or things from harm
51
3.7
To keep away an attack, illness, or strong unwanted feeling
45
3.7
To protect someone or something from harm
34
3.9
Keep unwanted people or things away so they do not harm you
27
3.2
To stay in one place and watch to protect someone or something
9
1.8
To protect people or things from danger
3
3.8
To protect a person or thing from harm
2
3.1
To stay and watch to protect people or a place
2
9.9
To stop danger or harm from happening
To stop something bad from happening
To protect a town by building walls, towers, or a ditch around it
Antonyms
How Protective
Surface Forms
Morphology
defend = fend (semi-transparent) = de + fend
The verb contains the root 'fend' and the prefix 'de-'; the meanings are related ('fend' = ward off), but the Latin prefix is not fully productive in modern English and learners may not reliably parse it.
Etymology
Defend comes from Latin parts de- ('away') and fendere ('to push or strike'), so it originally meant to 'push away' an attack. That's why to defend someone is to protect them from harm or danger.