1
as in protecting
to drive danger or attack away from
a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in justifying
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
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Recent Examples of defending
Just as significantly, Anunoby spent much of Tuesday night defending Jalen Johnson, the resurgent Hawks’ only All-Star, who finished with a modest 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting.
—
Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
Then Quentin Davie, the new coach of defending champion Hebron Christian and a close friend, called with an opportunity to join his staff.
—Jack Leo, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Kimmel responded on his show the following Monday, defending the joke.
—Mandalit Del Barco, NPR, 28 Apr. 2026
The Justice Department and those defending the administration have argued that TPS is supposed to provide temporary relief from deportation.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
Borquez is also a top hurdler and defending state champion JJ Harel of Notre Dame will be in the high jump.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
No quarterback will be watched more than Josh Hoover, who takes over for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza at defending national champion Indiana.
—Eric Olson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Magro now takes on the defending state champion, William Freshwater of Barron Collier (Naples), in an individual singles bracket semifinal Tuesday morning.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
The Bears took control with a 5-0 outburst in the third quarter for a 12-7 advantage over the defending champions.
—Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
Then Quentin Davie, the new coach of defending champion Hebron Christian and a close friend, called with an opportunity to join his staff.
—Jack Leo, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Kimmel responded on his show the following Monday, defending the joke.
—Mandalit Del Barco, NPR, 28 Apr. 2026
The Justice Department and those defending the administration have argued that TPS is supposed to provide temporary relief from deportation.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
Borquez is also a top hurdler and defending state champion JJ Harel of Notre Dame will be in the high jump.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
No quarterback will be watched more than Josh Hoover, who takes over for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza at defending national champion Indiana.
—Eric Olson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Magro now takes on the defending state champion, William Freshwater of Barron Collier (Naples), in an individual singles bracket semifinal Tuesday morning.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
The Bears took control with a 5-0 outburst in the third quarter for a 12-7 advantage over the defending champions.
—Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defending
Verb
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Ahead of them, Joe Willock (white) was in position to defend a short corner and Jacob Murphy (orange) played a hybrid role to help disrupt Gabriel, before protecting the area near the penalty spot and also keeping an eye out for late runners.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Our highest priority is the safety of our people, the security of our assets, protecting the environment.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Quiet-luxury proponents would often speak of frequency of use and cost per wear in justifying a four-figure black wool sweater.—
Marisa Meltzer,
Vanity Fair,
28 Apr. 2026
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Military technology has become more sophisticated, but the minds justifying its use are stuck in the past.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For now, the Prado is not exhibiting the work so much as safeguarding it, turning a private divorce into a public custody battle over one of the few Velázquez paintings still outside institutional hands.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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By combining cutting-edge protection, mobility, and digital integration, these vehicles are set to play a crucial role in enhancing military effectiveness and safeguarding personnel.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That debate intensified this March, when city officials outlined multiple options for restructuring the city’s approach to homelessness, including maintaining LAHSA with reforms, shifting responsibilities to the county, or bringing more programs in-house.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
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The office also handles business registrations, oversees the state archives and runs a potpourri of other state programs, like commissioning notaries public and maintaining a registry for advance care directives.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bartholomew was shot and killed inside Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital Saturday morning while guarding someone in custody.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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Anunoby began the series primarily guarding 6-10 center Onyeka Okongwu, a shooting threat who thrives at the pick-and-pop.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The case has since taken several turns, with a lower-court ruling in 2021 that the plaintiffs did not have standing and also saying that they were bound by a state Supreme Court 1985 decision upholding the 1982 law.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
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Some said the commercial, with a conventionally attractive, white, thin, blonde woman with blue eyes at its center, was upholding Sweeney as the beauty standard.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Snitker was emotional, thanking Ronnie for supporting him in this career for all these decades.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
26 Apr. 2026
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Investors bought tech stocks viewed as supporting the AI infrastructure buildout and dumping those seen as threatened by its adoption.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defending. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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