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Antonyms for defend
| Grammar : Verb |
| Spell : dih-fend |
| Phonetic Transcription : dɪˈfɛnd |
- abandon
- accuse
- aid
- assist
- attack
- blame
- condemn
- deny
- desert
- disapprove
- discourage
- endanger
- forget
- forsake
- give up
- harm
- help
- hurt
- ignore
- injure
- leave
- let go
- lose
- make peace
- neglect
- oppose
- protest
- punish
- quit
- reject
- release
- relinquish
- renounce
- resign
- reveal
- sentence
- squander
- support
- surrender
- uncover
- waste
Definition of defend
Origin :- mid-13c., from Old French defendre (12c.) "defend, resist," and directly from Latin defendere "ward off, protect, guard, allege in defense," from de- "from, away" (see de-) + -fendere "to strike, push," from PIE root *gwhen- "to strike, kill" (see bane). In the Mercian hymns, Latin defendet is glossed by Old English gescildeð. Related: Defended; defending.
- verb protect
- verb show support for
- To defend and avenge each other, is the deep feeling of all.
- Extract from : « The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California » by Brevet Col. J.C. Fremont
- Will you then defend a man in speaking things that are not true?
- Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
- She challenged his philosophy and gave him a chance to defend it.
- Extract from : « K » by Mary Roberts Rinehart
- Naturally he felt called upon to endorse his heroine, to defend her.
- Extract from : « Quaint Courtships » by Various
- That brute of a Bouquet came spying about my castle, and I did but defend myself.
- Extract from : « The Boy Life of Napoleon » by Eugenie Foa
- Uncle Joey Fesch joined him, as if to protect and defend him.
- Extract from : « The Boy Life of Napoleon » by Eugenie Foa
- This Bouquet is a rascal who will be more likely to end in the Bastille than I, who did but defend my own.
- Extract from : « The Boy Life of Napoleon » by Eugenie Foa
- Why don't they defend it on the flank also, even with arrows?
- Extract from : « The Leopard Woman » by Stewart Edward White
- She defended the weak because they were weak, whereas he would have had her defend the truth because it was the truth.
- Extract from : « The Foolish Lovers » by St. John G. Ervine
- Now that you are upon your guard, your own prudence will defend you sufficiently.
- Extract from : « Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10) » by Maria Edgeworth
Synonyms for defend
- advocate
- aid
- apologize for
- argue
- assert
- avert
- back
- back up
- battle
- bear one out
- beat off
- befriend
- bulwark
- care for
- champion
- cherish
- come to defense of
- conserve
- contend
- cover
- cover for
- endorse
- entrench
- espouse
- exculpate
- exonerate
- explain
- fend off
- fight
- fight for
- fortify
- foster
- garrison
- go to bat for
- guarantee
- guard
- guard against
- hedge
- hold
- hold at bay
- house
- insure
- justify
- keep safe
- look after
- maintain
- mine
- nourish
- oppose
- panoply
- plead
- preserve
- prevent
- prove a case
- provide sanctuary
- put in a good word
- rationalize
- recommend
- repel danger
- resist
- retain
- ride shotgun for
- safeguard
- save
- say in defense
- screen
- second
- secure
- shelter
- shield
- speak up for
- stand by
- stand up for
- stave off
- stick up for
- stonewall
- support
- sustain
- take in
- thump for
- uphold
- vindicate
- war
- ward off
- warrant
- watch
- watch over
- withstand
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019