verb
defend
dih-FEHND
verb
1
To protect someone or something from attack or harm.
"The soldiers defended the border for weeks."
"A good goalkeeper knows how to defend the near post."
2
To speak or argue in support of someone or something being criticised.
"She defended her decision to the board."
3
To represent an accused person in a legal case.
"The lawyer agreed to defend him at trial."
How to Use Defend
Learner’s notes
Common pairings
defend a title
defend your position
defend the accused
Word Forms
defended past tense, defend plural, defended plural, defends singular, defend singular, defended singular, defendest singular, defendedst singular, defendeth singular
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Etymology
From Old French defendre, from Latin dēfendere ("to ward off"), which displaced the native Old English word bewerian.