defended
defended — verb
1. kept a person, place, or thing safe when an attack, threat, or strong criticism
kept a person, place, or thing safe when an attack, threat, or strong criticism came at it
Zola defended her little brother from the bullies on the school bus.
defend + object + from + noun
The soldiers defended the village against three waves of enemy attacks.
defend + object + against + noun
Caio defended his sister whenever the neighbours spoke badly about her.
A thick stone wall defended the old castle on the hilltop.
The mother bear defended her cubs by standing up and growling loudly.
文法句型
defend + object + against/from + noun
用法筆記
Object must be the thing being protected; the threat is introduced with 'against' or 'from'. Frequently used with people, places, animals, and abstract things like 'rights' or 'reputation'.
常見錯誤
2. said or wrote things to show that a person, idea, or choice was right when other
said or wrote things to show that a person, idea, or choice was right when other people said it was wrong
Brandon defended the new school policy at the parents' meeting last night.
defending a decision or policy
The author defended her unusual writing style as a deliberate artistic choice.
defend + object + as + noun phrase
Yael defended her dad in the family chat when her cousins called him stubborn.
The newspaper columnist defended the mayor's late response to the storm.
Yara defended her decision to drop out of university in a long blog post.
- criticised
the opposite — saying something was wrong or bad
- disowned
publicly refusing to support someone or something
文法句型
defend + object
defend + object + as + noun phrase
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here no physical attack is involved — only criticism, disagreement, or doubt. The thing defended is often an opinion, choice, action, person's character, or argument.
常見錯誤
3. worked as the lawyer for someone facing a court trial and tried to show the judg
worked as the lawyer for someone facing a court trial and tried to show the judge or jury that the person was not guilty
Lakshmi defended a young driver who was charged with running a red light.
subject is a lawyer; object is the accused person
Two senior lawyers defended the company against the fraud charges last spring.
defend + object + against + noun
Feng defended his neighbour in court without asking for any payment.
The law student watched how her mentor defended the man accused of theft.
Andrei defended several local farmers who refused to sell their land to the developer.
- represented
broader legal term — covers both defense and other roles in court
- prosecuted
the opposite role — arguing that the accused person is guilty
文法句型
defend + object (defendant)
用法筆記
Subject is usually a lawyer; object is the person on trial (the defendant). Distinct from sense 2 because it requires the formal court context — outside court, arguing on someone's behalf is sense 2.
常見錯誤
4. took part in a competition that the same person or team had won before, hoping t
took part in a competition that the same person or team had won before, hoping to win it once more and keep the title
Sari defended her national chess title against five strong new challengers.
subject is the previous winner; object is the title
The Brazilian team defended their World Cup crown in front of a home crowd.
common phrasing 'defend the crown'
Hugo defended his marathon title for the third year in a row.
Yumi defended her gold medal at the regional swimming championships last August.
- retained
formal — focuses on the outcome (still holding the title) rather than the contest
- lost
failed to keep the title
文法句型
defend + object (title or championship)
用法筆記
Object is always a title, championship, crown, or position — never a person. Subject is the current holder of that title. Outside sport, also used for political seats ('defended her seat in parliament').
常見錯誤
5. tried to stop the other team or player from scoring in a sport such as football,
tried to stop the other team or player from scoring in a sport such as football, basketball, or hockey
Élise defended the goal with two amazing saves in the final minute.
object is the goal or basket
The whole team defended deeply for the last twenty minutes of the match.
intransitive — no object needed
Nicholas defended the basket so well that the visiting team scored only twice.
Naoko defended against the league's top scorer for the whole second half.
Lisa defended bravely, throwing her body in front of every shot.
- attacked
the opposite phase of play — trying to score
文法句型
defend (against opponent)
defend + object (goal, basket)
用法筆記
Only sense that can be used without an object. Subject is a player or team; the action is stopping the other side from scoring. Distinct from sense 1 because it refers specifically to the defensive phase of a sports match.