defender

noun

de·​fend·​er di-ˈfen-dər 

1

: one that defends

2

: a player in a sport (such as football) assigned to a defensive position

Synonyms

• custodian
• guard
• guardian
• guardian angel
• protection
• protector

Examples of defender in a Sentence

one of the traditional roles of an older brother is that of schoolyard defender

Recent Examples on the Web

Bucky Irving opened the fourth quarter with a 14-yard run on third-and-2, then followed that with a 12-yard touchdown dash past six defenders for the Bucs’ first lead of the game, 17-13. —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024

Ogles, a former mayor of Maury County and state director for the conservative group Americans for Prosperity, remains a staunch defender of conservative policies. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

That last scenario is the one polling defenders point to — that a close poll can motivate people to vote. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024

Spain’s standout attacker at the tournament received the ball out wide, wrong-footed the defender with a brilliant feint and put a ball into the box which eventually trickled on to Celia Segura, who made no mistake from close range. —Neel Shelat, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English defendour, defender, borrowed from Anglo-French defendour, defendur, from defend-, stem of defendre "to defend" + -our, -ur -or entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing defender

• public defender

Kids Definition

defender

noun

de·​fend·​er -ˈfen-dər 

1

: one that defends

2

: a player in a sport (as football) who plays a defensive position

Legal Definition

defender

noun

de·​fend·​er

: a lawyer who represents defendants

especially : public defender