noun
Meaning 1
Someone who defends people or property.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
defender
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
UK: /dɪˈfɛndə(ɹ)/
-
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
rhymes with -ɛndə(ɹ)
-
CMU ARPABET: D IH0 F EH1 N D ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
One of the players whose primary task is to prevent the opposition from scoring.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A fighter who seeks to repel an attack.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: forefighter, protector
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A lawyer who represents defendants, especially a public defender; a defense attorney (US) or defence counsel (UK).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: rare
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A defendant in a civil action.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: Scots law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
a person who cares for persons or property
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: guardian, protector, shielder
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: preserver
Narrower terms: admonisher, monitor, reminder, bodyguard, escort, champion, fighter, hero, paladin, chaperon, chaperone, custodian, keeper, steward, fireman, firefighter, fire fighter, fire-eater, foster-parent, foster parent, guard, lawman, law officer, peace officer, patron saint, peacekeeper, tribune, watchdog
noun
Meaning 7
a fighter who holds out against attack
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: withstander
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: combatant, battler, belligerent, fighter, scrapper
History
Etymology
From Middle English defender, deffender, defendere, defendour, defendoure, partly from Anglo-Norman defendour, from Old French defendëor; partly from Middle English defenden + -ere, equivalent to defend + -er.
Across languages
Translations
162 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Albanian: mbrojtës — someone who defends
- Arabic: مُدَافِع (mudāfiʕ) — someone who defends
- Arabic: مُنَاصِر (munāṣir) — someone who defends
- Armenian: պաշտպան (paštpan) — someone who defends
- Azerbaijani: müdafiəçi — someone who defends
- Belarusian: абаро́нца (abarónca) — someone who defends
- Belarusian: абаро́нец (abarónjec) — someone who defends
- Bulgarian: защи́тник (zaštítnik) — someone who defends
- Bulgarian: защи́тничка (zaštítnička) — someone who defends
- Bulgarian: защи́тница (zaštítnica) — someone who defends
- Bulgarian: брани́тел (branítel) — someone who defends
- Bulgarian: брани́телка (branítelka) — someone who defends
- Chinese Mandarin: 辯護人 /辩护人 (biànhùrén) — someone who defends
- Chinese Mandarin: 防守者 (fángshǒuzhě) — someone who defends
- Chinese Mandarin: 捍衛者 /捍卫者 (hànwèizhě) — someone who defends
- Czech: obránce — someone who defends
- Czech: obránkyně — someone who defends
- Danish: forsvar — someone who defends
- Danish: forsvarer — someone who defends
- Dutch: verdediger — someone who defends
- Dutch: verdedigster — someone who defends
- Estonian: kaitsja — someone who defends
- Finnish: puolustaja — someone who defends
- French: défenseur — someone who defends
- French: défenseuse — someone who defends
- Galician: defensor — someone who defends
- Georgian: დამცველი (damcveli) — someone who defends
- Georgian: მცველი (mcveli) — someone who defends
- German: Verteidiger — someone who defends
- German: Verteidigerin — someone who defends
- Greek: υπερασπιστής (yperaspistís) — someone who defends
- Ancient Greek: παραστάτης (parastátēs) — someone who defends
- Hebrew: מָגֵן (magén) — someone who defends
- Hebrew: מגנה (megena) — someone who defends
- Hindi: रक्षक (rakṣak) — someone who defends
- Hungarian: védő — someone who defends
- Icelandic: verjandi — someone who defends
- Irish: cosantóir — someone who defends
- Italian: difensore — someone who defends
- Italian: difenditrice — someone who defends
- Japanese: 防衛者 (hōeisha) — someone who defends
- Japanese: 擁護者 (yōgosha) — someone who defends
- Kazakh: қорғаушы (qorğauşy) — someone who defends
- Korean: 방어자 (bang'eoja) — someone who defends
- Korean: 방위자 (bang'wija) — someone who defends
- Kyrgyz: коргоочу (korgoocu) — someone who defends
- Latin: dēfensor — someone who defends
- Latin: tutor — someone who defends
- Latvian: aizstāvis — someone who defends
- Latvian: aizstāve — someone who defends
- Lithuanian: gynėjas — someone who defends
- Lithuanian: gynėja — someone who defends
- Macedonian: бранител (branitel) — someone who defends
- Macedonian: бранителка (branitelka) — someone who defends
- Māori: kaiwawao — someone who defends
- Māori: kaipare — someone who defends
- Mongolian: хамгаалагч (xamgaalagč) — someone who defends
- Norwegian Bokmål: forsvarer — someone who defends
- Iranian Persian: حامی (hâmi) — someone who defends
- Iranian Persian: پَدافَنْدْگَر (padâfandgar) — someone who defends
- Iranian Persian: مُحافِظ (mohâfez) — someone who defends
- Iranian Persian: مُدافِع (modâfe') — someone who defends
- Polish: obrońca — someone who defends
- Polish: obrończyni — someone who defends
- Portuguese: defensor — someone who defends
- Portuguese: defensora — someone who defends
- Romanian: apărător — someone who defends
- Romanian: apărătoare — someone who defends
- Russian: защи́тник (zaščítnik) — someone who defends
- Russian: защи́тница (zaščítnica) — someone who defends
- Serbo-Croatian: бра̀нитељ — someone who defends
- Serbo-Croatian: бранитѐљица — someone who defends
- Serbo-Croatian: brànitelj — someone who defends
- Serbo-Croatian: branitèljica — someone who defends
- Slovak: obranca — someone who defends
- Slovak: obrankyňa — someone who defends
- Slovene: branilec — someone who defends
- Slovene: branilka — someone who defends
- Southern Altai: коруучы (koruučï) — someone who defends
- Spanish: defensor — someone who defends
- Spanish: defensora — someone who defends
- Swahili: mtetezi — someone who defends
- Swedish: försvarare — someone who defends
- Tajik: мудофиакунанда (mudofiakunanda) — someone who defends
- Tajik: ҳимоякунанда (himoyakunanda) — someone who defends
- Tajik: ҳомӣ (homi) — someone who defends
- Tajik: ҳимоятгар (himoyatgar) — someone who defends
- Tatar: саклаучы (saqlawçı) — someone who defends
- Turkish: savunucu — someone who defends
- Turkmen: goragçy — someone who defends
- Ukrainian: захисни́к (zaxysnýk) — someone who defends
- Ukrainian: захисни́ця (zaxysnýcja) — someone who defends
- Urdu: مُحافِظ (muhāfiz) — someone who defends
- Urdu: مُدافِع (mudāfi') — someone who defends
- Uyghur: قوغدىغۇچى (qoghdighuchi) — someone who defends
- Uzbek: himoyachi — someone who defends
- Uzbek: himoya — someone who defends
- Vietnamese: người bảo vệ — someone who defends
- Albanian: mbrojtës — players
- Arabic: مُدَافِع (mudāfiʕ) — players
- Armenian: պաշտպան (paštpan) — players
- Bulgarian: защи́тник (zaštítnik) — players
- Catalan: defensor — players
- Chinese Mandarin: 後衛 /后卫 (hòuwèi) — players
- Czech: obránce — players
- Danish: forsvar — players
- Danish: forsvarer — players
- Dutch: verdediger — players
- Dutch: verdedigster — players
- Finnish: puolustaja — players
- French: défenseur — players
- German: Verteidiger — players
- Hebrew: מָגֵן (magén) — players
- Hebrew: מגנה (megena) — players
- Hungarian: hátvéd — players
- Icelandic: varnarmaður — players
- Indonesian: bek — players
- Italian: difensore — players
- Japanese: ディフェンダー (difendā) — players
- Korean: 수비수 (subisu) — players
- Korean: 디펜더 (dipendeo) — players
- Korean: 방어수 (bang'eosu) — players
- Ladin: pech — players
- Latvian: aizsargs — players
- Latvian: aizsardze — players
- Norwegian Bokmål: forsvarer — players
- Norwegian Bokmål: forsvarsspiller — players
- Norwegian Nynorsk: forsvarsspelar — players
- Persian: مدافع (modâfe') — players
- Polish: obrońca — players
- Portuguese: zagueiro — players
- Portuguese: beque — players
- Romanian: fundaș — players
- Romanian: apărător — players
- Russian: защи́тник (zaščítnik) — players
- Scottish Gaelic: cluicheadair-dìon — players
- Serbo-Croatian: бра̀нӣч — players
- Serbo-Croatian: бе̏к — players
- Serbo-Croatian: brànīč — players
- Serbo-Croatian: bȅk — players
- Slovak: obranca — players
- Swahili: mtetezi — players
- Swahili: difenda — players
- Swedish: försvarare — players
- Swedish: back — players
- Tajik: ҳимоятгар (himoyatgar) — players
- Turkish: savunucu — players
- Ukrainian: захисни́к (zaxysnýk) — players
- Vietnamese: hậu vệ — players
- Czech: obránce — fighter
- Danish: forsvar — fighter
- Danish: forsvarer — fighter
- Dutch: verdediger — fighter
- Finnish: puolustaja — fighter
- Portuguese: defensor — fighter
- Russian: защи́тник (zaščítnik) — fighter
- Serbo-Croatian: бра̀нитељ — fighter
- Serbo-Croatian: бранитѐљица — fighter
- Serbo-Croatian: brànitelj — fighter
- Serbo-Croatian: branitèljica — fighter
- Swahili: mtetezi — fighter
- Swedish: försvarare — fighter
Real reading context