English

defend

An user Sentences
Meaning
Synonyms
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  1. (transitive) To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.
  2. (transitive) To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.
  3. (transitive) To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).
  4. To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
  5. Mostly in tests. The action of not putting force into hitting a shot, but to conserve energy and wear down bowlers so they can attack later.
  6. To attempt to retain a title, or attempt to reach the same stage in a competition as one did in the previous instance of that competition.
  7. (slang) To call a raise from the big blind.
  8. (obsolete, transitive) To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).
  9. (obsolete, transitive) To prevent, to keep (from doing something).
  10. (intransitive, obsolete, transitive) To prohibit, forbid.

Frequency

B1
Pronounced as (IPA)
/dɪˈfɛnd/
Etymology

Inherited from Middle English
defenden
Cognate with French
French
défendre
In summary

From Middle English defenden, from Old French defendre, deffendre (Modern French défendre), from Latin dēfendō (“to ward off”), from Proto-Italic *fendō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen-. Displaced native Old English bewerian.

Related words
defending defended protect attacking against defenders safeguard

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