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| de·fend [ di fénd ] (past and past participle de·fend·ed, present participle de·fend·ing, 3rd person present singular de·fends) |
verb |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive verb protect somebody or something: to protect somebody or something from attack, harm, or danger
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2. transitive and intransitive verb represent somebody in court: to represent and speak on behalf of an accused person in court
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3. transitive verb support position: to offer support for something or somebody, especially by arguing against the objections or criticism of others
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4. intransitive verb resist opponent: in sports, to resist the attacks of an opposing player or team and try to prevent them from scoring
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5. transitive verb try to keep title: to try to retain a title, especially a sporting one, by competing in the relevant competitions
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6. transitive verb protect goal: in sports, to protect the goal and goal area from the attacks of the opposition
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| [13th century. Via French< Latin defendere "ward off" < Indo-European, "strike, kill"] |
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  de·fend·a·ble adjective |
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