defend
To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.
Verb 4 meanings
To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.
To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.
To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).
To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
Etymology
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.
Similar and opposite words
DEFEND at a glance
DEFEND has 6 letters and scores 11 points in Scrabble (D 2 + E 1 + F 4 + E 1 + N 1 + D 2) and 12 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #3,095 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with defend
All rhymesOne letter away
- DEPEND10
- DEFUND11
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