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
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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
as in protected
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of defended
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
In 11 games for Wisconsin, Lucas recorded 18 tackles, one interception and three defended passes.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
Oliver Kay, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
Michael Pizzi, a Miami attorney who has both defended police officers in criminal cases and sued police departments for misconduct in his three-decade career, put it more bluntly.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
Trump and Xi are visiting misfortune upon the downtrodden, expect all of their policies to be defended by vocal loyalists, and play fast and loose with economic data.
—Vincent Ni, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
More than 20 attorneys general have publicly defended James, accusing the administration of weaponizing federal power against a state official.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Acosta has long defended his decision to enter into plea negotiations with Epstein as the best path forward at the time.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2025
Thursday night, as most late-night shows aired their episodes taped after ABC revealed their decision, Stephen Colbert defended Kimmel, notably after his own The Late Show was recently canceled by CBS.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
The company has defended its practices since, settling in for what will likely be a long legal battle.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Kimmel’s former Man Show co-host Adam Carolla, who has leaned right with his politics, also defended his friend.
—Peter White, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
In the first two weeks of the season, the 29-year-old pass rusher has recorded six tackles and a defended pass.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
In 11 games for Wisconsin, Lucas recorded 18 tackles, one interception and three defended passes.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Aug. 2025
Adjective
This wasn’t like some of those recent Anfield derby matches when Everton defended well for long periods before their resistance was finally broken.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
Michael Pizzi, a Miami attorney who has both defended police officers in criminal cases and sued police departments for misconduct in his three-decade career, put it more bluntly.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
Trump and Xi are visiting misfortune upon the downtrodden, expect all of their policies to be defended by vocal loyalists, and play fast and loose with economic data.
—Vincent Ni, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
More than 20 attorneys general have publicly defended James, accusing the administration of weaponizing federal power against a state official.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Acosta has long defended his decision to enter into plea negotiations with Epstein as the best path forward at the time.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2025
Thursday night, as most late-night shows aired their episodes taped after ABC revealed their decision, Stephen Colbert defended Kimmel, notably after his own The Late Show was recently canceled by CBS.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
The company has defended its practices since, settling in for what will likely be a long legal battle.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Kimmel’s former Man Show co-host Adam Carolla, who has leaned right with his politics, also defended his friend.
—Peter White, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defended
Verb
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Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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That’s because the First Amendment plays a unique role when the government is the employer, Collis explains — and the Supreme Court has ruled that if an employee is acting in a private capacity but speaking on a matter of public concern, they’re protected.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The senior editor for the free speech absolutist Reason magazine said her firing was fully justified as being due to journalistic malpractice.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
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In the YouGov survey conducted in the immediate aftermath of the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 72 percent of Americans said violence is never justified, while 11 percent said it can sometimes be justified.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora Gomez earned an Emmy nomination for her role as Mabel, a guarded and sarcastic millennial who strikes up an unexpected friendship with Charles and Oliver.—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Our spirits remain guarded, but high, for this one; the Venice Film Festival crowd seemed to eat it up.—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
3 Sep. 2024
Verb
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But even as new tools and strategies emerge to quiet the seas, the legal foundation that has long safeguarded marine life is under pressure.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
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Data in motion is safeguarded through end-to-end encryption with TLS or SSL, while intellectual property at rest is shielded with hashing and tokenization.—
Nagesh Nama,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Even when submarines employed advanced decoys or drones to confuse the search, the AI maintained its pursuit, adapting in real time to stay on target.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The result is a collection that maintained the essence of IVY moda’s DNA while boldly stepping into new territory and appealing to a new generation of fashion fans.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman and John Turturro all secured nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category; meanwhile, Patricia Arquette is competing for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
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Despite questions surrounding his confirmation, Hegseth secured support in January from all but three Republicans to become Defense secretary with a 51-50 vote as Vice President JD Vance broke the tie.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If interactions with critical analysts help executives build credibility, then their companies should be somewhat shielded from this negative spill-over effect.—
Joseph Brazel,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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But even on a night when Roberts somewhat shielded his closer, the moment found him anyway.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In January, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld legislation requiring ByteDance to divest or face a nationwide ban.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
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If the 12-match ban is upheld, Berthoumieu will miss France’s upcoming semifinal against England on Saturday and either the bronze medal game or the final on September 27 as well as a further 10 matches in her domestic championship.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defended. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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