Defend

Verb

 * 1)  To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).
 * 2) * 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.viii:
 * The vertue is, that neither steele, nor stone / The stroke thereof from entrance may defend [...].
 * 1)  To prevent, to keep (from doing something).
 * 2)  To prohibit, forbid.
 * 3) * 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VII:
 * "Brother," seyde Sir Launcelot, "wyte you well I am full loth to departe oute of thys reallme, but the quene hath defended me so hyghly that mesemyth she woll never be my good lady as she hath bene."
 * 1)  To ward off attacks from; to fight to protect; to guard.
 * 2)  To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.
 * 3)  To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).
 * 4)  To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
 * 5)  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.

Synonyms for Defend
guard, protect, shelter, shield, insure, save, safeguard, secure, cover, justify, plead, fortify.

Antonyms for Defend
attack, desert, abandon, leave, abdicate, quit, forsake, resign, relinquish, renounce, surrender.

Related terms

 * defender
 * defense, defence
 * defensive

Thesaurus
account, advocate, air, allege in support, answer, argue, argue for, arm, armor, assert, avert, back, battle, bless, bulwark, champion, claim, cloak, compass about, conserve, contend, contend for, copyright, counter, cover, cushion, ensure, espouse, explain, express, fence, fend, fend off, fight, fight for, flank, fortify, guarantee, guard, guard against, harbor, haven, insure, justify, keep, keep from harm, keep safe, maintain, make a plea, make safe, nestle, oppose, parry, patent, plead for, police, preserve, prevent, protect, rationalize, rebut, refute, register, reply, resist, respond, ride shotgun for, riposte, safeguard, save, say in defense, screen, secure, shelter, shield, shroud, speak for, speak up for, stand by, stand up for, stick up for, support, sustain, underwrite, uphold, urge reasons for, utter, vent, vindicate, voice, war, ward, ward off, warrant, watch over, withstand

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

Translations

 * Arabic:, أجار
 * Bulgarian: защитавам, браня
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:, ,  守衛,  守卫,  捍衛,  捍卫
 * Czech:
 * Finnish:
 * French:
 * German:


 * Hebrew: להגן
 * Italian:
 * Japanese: ,
 * Latin:
 * Norwegian:, ,  beskytte
 * Romanian:
 * Russian:,  защитить ,   ,  оберегать ,
 * Spanish:

Anagrams

 * fended