defends

verb

present tense third-person singular of defend
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 The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the country. — Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 7 Oct. 2026 Different views on the topic Hilton defends the ad as a humorous, provocative way to reach Californians who are dissatisfied with the state’s direction but might not ordinarily consider voting Republican. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 Kerry defends him in front of everyone, the two later sleep together and Kerry invites Hal to her son Noah’s (Shea Pritchard) football game. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026 The White House defends the spots as educational public service announcements. — Mariam Khan, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2026 She was also endorsed by Moms for Liberty, a parental rights advocacy group, and the California Rifle and Pistol Association, a nonprofit that defends gun rights. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Continue reading … CAT FIGHT — Kitten rescue defends ‘NO F---ING MAGA’ adoption policy as PETA calls for it to be abolished. — FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Having taken home the top spot on the 50 Top Pizza list three years in a row and coming in a respectable second place in this edition, Una Pizza Napoletana defends its aptonym well. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2026 What's particularly compelling in this book is how lyrically Rovelli still vehemently defends the power and promise of physics (and science in general). — Adam Frank, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defends
  1. protects
  2. justifies
  3. maintains
  4. upholds
  5. supports
Verb
  • Suitable for all hair types, the spray also protects against color fading, UV damage, pollution, and static.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Officials said the agreement also protects Mableton's authority over several local government functions.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of protects
Verb
  • In instances like these, and there are many of them, one realizes how the novel acquires, and justifies, its title.
    — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • And for four consecutive games, the running back unit has proved it more than justifies the hype.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of justifies
Verb
  • The city owns the facility, but the Charlote Regional Visitors Authority maintains it.
    — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Since then, Andrew has been keeping a low profile and maintains his innocence.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of maintains
Verb
  • In February, President Pamela Whitten and the board of trustees supported and adopted the Chicago Principles, a set of guidelines regarding how the university upholds its free speech environment.
    — Cate Charron, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The letter was also sent to Harry and Meghan’s team and upholds Queen Elizabeth’s wishes when Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal roles in 2020.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of upholds
Verb
  • The other half came from the Fund for Policy Reform, a nonprofit that’s part of Soros’ Open Society Foundations, which supports progressive organizations and whose board is chaired by his son, Alex Soros.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Pearlman supports campus efforts to create foundations for scholarships and lobbying Sacramento and Washington to keep funding, including student aid, at necessary levels.
    — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of supports

Browse Nearby Words

defending
defends
defenestrate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defends. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All