defend

  • 11defend — de|fend [ dı fend ] verb *** ▸ 1 protect from attack ▸ 2 speak to support someone/something ▸ 3 prevent something from failing ▸ 4 in law ▸ 5 try to win again ▸ 6 in sports 1. ) transitive to protect someone or something from attack: Thousands of …

    Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • 12defend — /dI fend/ verb 1 (T) to do something in order to protect someone or something from being attacked: defend sth against/from: They needed more troops to defend the border against possible attack. | defend yourself: I picked a stick up to defend… …

    Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • 13defend — verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo French defendre, from Latin defendere, from de + fendere to strike; akin to Old English gūth battle, war, Greek theinein to strike Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to drive danger or attack away… …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 14defend — [[t]dɪfe̱nd[/t]] ♦♦ defends, defending, defended 1) VERB If you defend someone or something, you take action in order to protect them. [V n] Every man who could fight was now committed to defend the ridge... [V n] His courage in defending… …

    English dictionary

  • 15defend*/*/ — [dɪˈfend] verb 1) [T] to protect someone or something from attack Can the military defend the city against attack?[/ex] 2) [T] to say things to support someone or something We will defend their right to free speech.[/ex] 3) to try to prevent your …

    Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • 16defend — v. 1) (D; refl., tr.) to defend against, from (she defended herself against the attack) 2) (K) I cannot defend his drinking on the job * * * [dɪ fend] from (she defended herself against the attack) (D;refl.,tr.) to defend against (K) I cannot… …

    Combinatory dictionary

  • 17defend — defendable, adj. defender, n. /di fend /, v.t. 1. to ward off attack from; guard against assault or injury (usually fol. by from or against): The sentry defended the gate against sudden attack. 2. to maintain by argument, evidence, etc.; uphold:… …

    Universalium

  • 18defend — 01. The father was seriously injured trying to [defend] his son from a vicious dog. 02. I [defended] myself with a knife. 03. She [defended] herself successfully in court, and was found innocent of the charges against her. 04. The whale was… …

    Grammatical examples in English

  • 19defend — verb 1 protect against attack ADVERB ▪ adequately, effectively, properly (esp. BrE), successfully ▪ Computer users need to ensure their systems are properly defended. ▪ She successfully defended herself against an attack from someone larg …

    Collocations dictionary

  • 20defend — [13] Defend comes via Old French defendre from Latin dēfendere ‘ward off’, a compound verb formed from the prefix dē ‘off, away’ and an element that survives elsewhere only in other compound forms (represented in English by offend). It has been… …

    The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins