as in protected
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Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in guarded
to drive danger or attack away from
a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justified
to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections
she will pigheadedly defend any claim regardless of all evidence to the contrary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of defended
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Speaking at Fortune’s Workforce Innovation Summit on Tuesday, the 31-year-old defended sweeping workforce cuts at Bolt—including a recent layoff affecting roughly 30% of employees—as well as his decision to eliminate the company’s HR team.
—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Some defended efforts by staff to correct the books, while others demanded answers on how the accounting error had gone unnoticed through three full audit cycles.
—
Mona Darwish,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
The extended range allows aircraft to strike without entering heavily defended zones, reducing risk to pilots and platforms.
—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
Private firefighting outfits defended companies, utilities, and ultrarich enclaves while other parts of the city burned.
—
Vann R. Newkirk Ii,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Ringo recorded a defended pass and recovered the fumble Campbell forced.
—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
In the first three games of the year, DeJean recorded 22 tackles and a defended pass.
—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
In 11 games for Wisconsin, Lucas recorded 18 tackles, one interception and three defended passes.
—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
9 Aug. 2025
Kyla Guilfoil,
NBC news,
5 July 2026
From the get-go, Les Bleus – including, at one point, the entire squad except for goalkeeper Mike Maignan – were in the Paraguay half, searching for an opener as La Albirroja defended valiantly.
—
Patrick Sung Cuadrado,
CNN Money,
4 July 2026
In January 2025, Makhachev defended his crown with a quick submission win over late replacement Renato Moicano, who stepped in to replace Arman Tsarukyan on weigh-in day.
—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2026
Ocasio-Cortez notably sidestepped Platner’s candidacy in Maine even as other progressives defended him from the controversy surrounding his infidelity and old social media posts.
—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
4 July 2026
The Kenyan runner defended his crown after winning last year’s event.
—
Nicole Bennett,
AJC.com,
4 July 2026
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in the new filing defended his agency’s decision to withhold millions of investigative files, saying that releasing more materials would harm Epstein’s victims and the government.
—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Cain has also defended traditional patriotic themes in popular culture.
—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
3 July 2026
So far, Milei has defended his Cabinet chief, even as the scandal damaged his government’s public image, constrained his political leverage in negotiations with allies and undermined his communication about spending cuts to Argentines scraping by on salaries that increasingly fall behind inflation.
—
Clara Preve,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2026
Adjective
Every additional defended point becomes a resource allocation problem for Moscow.
—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Speaking at Fortune’s Workforce Innovation Summit on Tuesday, the 31-year-old defended sweeping workforce cuts at Bolt—including a recent layoff affecting roughly 30% of employees—as well as his decision to eliminate the company’s HR team.
—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Some defended efforts by staff to correct the books, while others demanded answers on how the accounting error had gone unnoticed through three full audit cycles.
—
Mona Darwish,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
The extended range allows aircraft to strike without entering heavily defended zones, reducing risk to pilots and platforms.
—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
Private firefighting outfits defended companies, utilities, and ultrarich enclaves while other parts of the city burned.
—
Vann R. Newkirk Ii,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Ringo recorded a defended pass and recovered the fumble Campbell forced.
—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
In the first three games of the year, DeJean recorded 22 tackles and a defended pass.
—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
In 11 games for Wisconsin, Lucas recorded 18 tackles, one interception and three defended passes.
—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
9 Aug. 2025
Verb
Miki Sudo defended her title as well in the women’s division.
—
Kyla Guilfoil,
NBC news,
5 July 2026
From the get-go, Les Bleus – including, at one point, the entire squad except for goalkeeper Mike Maignan – were in the Paraguay half, searching for an opener as La Albirroja defended valiantly.
—
Patrick Sung Cuadrado,
CNN Money,
4 July 2026
In January 2025, Makhachev defended his crown with a quick submission win over late replacement Renato Moicano, who stepped in to replace Arman Tsarukyan on weigh-in day.
—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2026
Ocasio-Cortez notably sidestepped Platner’s candidacy in Maine even as other progressives defended him from the controversy surrounding his infidelity and old social media posts.
—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
4 July 2026
The Kenyan runner defended his crown after winning last year’s event.
—
Nicole Bennett,
AJC.com,
4 July 2026
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in the new filing defended his agency’s decision to withhold millions of investigative files, saying that releasing more materials would harm Epstein’s victims and the government.
—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Cain has also defended traditional patriotic themes in popular culture.
—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
3 July 2026
So far, Milei has defended his Cabinet chief, even as the scandal damaged his government’s public image, constrained his political leverage in negotiations with allies and undermined his communication about spending cuts to Argentines scraping by on salaries that increasingly fall behind inflation.
—
Clara Preve,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defended
Adjective
-
For example, Paris has an aesthetic aversion to window units and rooftop HVAC systems, which helps explain why installing air-conditioning typically requires special permission from authorities, especially in protected or historic areas.
-
Most of them encrypted files in non-protected folders, anywhere from a handful to 24,000.
Verb
-
Ever since they've been excited about the day, but understandably guarded.
-
For most of my career, the loyalty industry treated data as an asset to be guarded and exported to specialists.
Verb
-
Still, Calabrese says any kind of travel expenses should go through layers of approval and be properly justified.
-
Will the high costs of running and using Fable be justified now that alternatives have emerged?
Adjective
-
The twins also appeared on TV series like The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley and Two of a Kind, and secured lucrative brand deals.
-
Wissa added to his tally for Congo, who completed a 3-1 comeback against Uzbekistan and secured passage to the knockout rounds as one of the best third-place teams.
Verb
-
Regarding Jersey Mike's, the complaint says the chain should have safeguarded the sandwich in a sanitary and tamper-resistant manner.
-
The report concluded that civilian infrastructure, civilian areas, and cultural heritage sites must be safeguarded.
Verb
-
Razia showed up at the scene not to aid in a kidnapping, but to confront her online tormentor, Sacks maintained.
-
Pfendler appears to have broken both the previous women's speed record as well as the men's speed record, according to records maintained by Ocean Rowing Society International, which adjudicates ocean-rowing achievements for Guinness World Records.
Adjective
-
The titular hero was born on the doomed alien world of Krypton, and grew up in a shielded city that managed to survive the planet’s initial destruction.
-
The pipe welding certificate program will focus on gas tungsten arc welding, gas metal arc welding and shielded metal arc welding, according to the ECC website.
Verb
-
In February 2025, a state appeals court upheld the jury’s verdict, ruling that Missouri’s laws requiring companies to warn of dangers are not preempted by federal law.
-
This week, the court ruled by a 5-4 vote against the Republican National Committee and upheld state laws that allow for counting late-arriving mail ballots.
Cite this Entry
“Defended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defended. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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