1
as in protects
to drive danger or attack away from
a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifies
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defends
Friedman defends the All Elite Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship on November 18, 2023 at AEW Full Gear.
—
Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
McDaniels defends Maye Following his recent press conferences, something is amiss with Drake Maye.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Jeffrey Breinholt, an architect of the material support statutes who spent three decades as a federal terrorism prosecutor, defends the laws as crucial to closing loopholes that were exploited by foreign militant groups and their domestic sympathizers.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonpartisan organization that defends First Amendment rights across the political spectrum, and survey company College Pulse rank the campus speech environment of 257 public and private universities each year.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2025
Continue reading … BIG APPLE BATTLE – NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani defends past tweets.
—FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
But encryption mainly defends against passive attackers.
—Camellia Chan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
This defends against accusations of insider trading for employees who may have access to material nonpublic information.
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
About the Genocide in Gaza The Management Committee of this Festival defends the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
McDaniels defends Maye Following his recent press conferences, something is amiss with Drake Maye.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Jeffrey Breinholt, an architect of the material support statutes who spent three decades as a federal terrorism prosecutor, defends the laws as crucial to closing loopholes that were exploited by foreign militant groups and their domestic sympathizers.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonpartisan organization that defends First Amendment rights across the political spectrum, and survey company College Pulse rank the campus speech environment of 257 public and private universities each year.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2025
Continue reading … BIG APPLE BATTLE – NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani defends past tweets.
—FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
But encryption mainly defends against passive attackers.
—Camellia Chan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
This defends against accusations of insider trading for employees who may have access to material nonpublic information.
—Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
About the Genocide in Gaza The Management Committee of this Festival defends the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defends
Verb
-
The agency said vaccination within the first day of birth, followed by two-to-three additional doses, protects children for life.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The truth of conservatism lies elsewhere, in the unshakeable principles that the dispensable litany of professed ideals protects.—
Allan J. Lichtman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This year's installer icon is one of the ones that finally justifies years' worth of effort spent tracking and talking about the changes in macOS installer icons.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Throughout, in interviews with Costa, Malafaia justifies his political aspiration with Biblical parables.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bert Kreischer maintains his shirtless, party-animal persona but now attempts to balance it with a healthier lifestyle.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The company sells more than 1,200 different products and maintains full transparency with all regulatory agencies.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As a public institution, UVU upholds First Amendment rights and fosters an environment where ideas – popular or controversial – can be exchanged freely, energetically, and civilly.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
-
If the appeals court upholds the block, the dispute is likely to advance to the Supreme Court.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In short, civility supports innovation, and innovation drives success.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Retail traders differ—100% of their trades lack customers, which supports the $0 gross receipts position.—
Robert Green,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defends. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share