What does Defend mean?

Definitions for Defend
dɪˈfɛndde·fend

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Defend.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. defend, support, fend forverb

    argue or speak in defense of

    "She supported the motion to strike"

  2. defendverb

    be on the defensive; act against an attack

  3. defend, guard, holdverb

    protect against a challenge or attack

    "Hold that position behind the trees!"; "Hold the bridge against the enemy's attacks"

  4. fight, oppose, fight back, fight down, defendverb

    fight against or resist strongly

    "The senator said he would oppose the bill"; "Don't fight it!"

  5. champion, defendverb

    protect or fight for as a champion

  6. defend, representverb

    be the defense counsel for someone in a trial

    "Ms. Smith will represent the defendant"

  7. maintain, defendverb

    state or assert

    "He maintained his innocence"

Wiktionary

  1. defendverb

    To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).

  2. defendverb

    To prevent, to keep (from doing something).

  3. defendverb

    To prohibit, forbid.

  4. defendverb

    To ward off attacks from; to fight to protect; to guard.

  5. defendverb

    To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.

  6. defendverb

    To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).

  7. defendverb

    To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.

  8. defendverb

    To attempt to retain a title, or attempt to reach the same stage in a competition as one did in the previous edition of that competition.

  9. defendverb

    To call a raise from the big blind.

  10. Etymology: defenden, from deffendre (Modern: défendre), from defendo.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To DEFENDverb

    Etymology: defendo, Latin; defendre, French.

    There arose, to defend Israel, Tola the son of Puah. Judg.

    Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. Ps. lix. 1.

    Heav’n defend your souls, that you think
    I will your serious and great business scant. William Shakespeare, Othello.

    The queen on the throne, by God’s assistance, is able to defend herself against all her majesty’s enemies and allies put together. Jonathan Swift, Remarks on the Barrier Treaty.

    And here th’ access a gloomy grove defends,
    And here th’ unnavigable lake extends. John Dryden, Æneis.

    Where can you say, in any manner, age,
    That ever God defended marriage? Geoffrey Chaucer.

    O sons! like one of us, man is become
    To know both good and evil, since his taste
    Of that defended fruit. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. xi. l. 86.

    The use of it is little practised, and in some places defended by customs or laws. William Temple.

ChatGPT

  1. defend

    To defend is to protect or guard against harm or danger, typically in context of an attack or potential threats. It can also refer to resisting or standing up against something that is seen as harmful or undesirable. In a legal setting, to defend means to speak, write, argue, or present evidence in support of someone or something in a court of law. Essentially, it involves the act of offering a resistance to or maintaining a positive stance, argument, or course of action against any form of opposition.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Defendverb

    to ward or fend off; to drive back or away; to repel

  2. Defendverb

    to prohibit; to forbid

  3. Defendverb

    to repel danger or harm from; to protect; to secure against; attack; to maintain against force or argument; to uphold; to guard; as, to defend a town; to defend a cause; to defend character; to defend the absent; -- sometimes followed by from or against; as, to defend one's self from, or against, one's enemies

  4. Defendverb

    to deny the right of the plaintiff in regard to (the suit, or the wrong charged); to oppose or resist, as a claim at law; to contest, as a suit

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Defend

    de-fend′, v.t. to keep off anything hurtful: to guard or protect: to maintain against attack: (obs.) to prohibit, forbid: (law) to resist, as a claim: to contest.—adj. Defend′able, that may be defended.—ns. Defend′ant, a defender: (law) a person accused or sued; Defendee′, one who is defended; Defend′er; Defen′sative, a protection; Defensibil′ity.—adjs. Defens′ible, that may be defended; Defens′ive, Defen′sory, serving to defend: in a state or posture of defence.—n. that which defends: posture of defence.—adv. Defens′ively.—Defender of the Faith, a title borne by the sovereigns of England since Henry VIII., on whom it was conferred in 1521 for his book against Luther.—Be on the defensive, to be in the position to defend one's self. [L. defendĕre, defensum, to ward off—de, off, and obs. fendĕre, to strike.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. defend

    To secure against attack; to maintain; as, to defend a town; to defend a cause.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Defend' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4428

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Defend' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4612

  3. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Defend' in Verbs Frequency: #456

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce Defend?

How to say Defend in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Defend in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Defend in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of Defend in a Sentence

  1. Emily Wise:

    We will continue to pray for all parties involved, and, if necessary, we are prepared to defend ourselves in court.

  2. Sam Bregman:

    Keith, as a police officer, had not only the right, but the duty to defend a fellow officer from a mentally unstable, violent man wielding two knives.

  3. Whenever Emmanuel Ali Talka:

    I think of them all the time. I don't eat. I don't drink. I cannot sleep, i don't know whether they are alive or not. They are very small and will not know what to do or defend themselves. I am dying inside.

  4. Martin Fayulu:

    Tshisekedi took a dangerous shortcut to power at the expense of the Congolese people that Felix Tshisekedi pretended to defend, kabila couldn't manipulate the polls for his preferred candidate, so he went with Tshisekedi as a Plan B because( he was) seen as manipulable. ( There's) no long-term peace and stability with faulty institutions.

  5. Hellen Obiri:

    For us Kenyans, we have lost a hero, i told Agnes Tirop that in 2022, Agnes Tirop was to go and defend my titles and represent our country.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Defend#1#7739#10000

Translations for Defend

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for Defend »

Translation

Find a translation for the Defend definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Defend." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Defend>.

Discuss these Defend definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for Defend? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    come out into view, as from concealment
    A embark
    B observe
    C emerge
    D blur

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for Defend: