- (v.t.) To deny the right of the plaintiff in regard to (the suit or the wrong charged); to oppose or resist, as a claim at law; to contest, as a suit.
- (v.t.) To repel danger or harm from; to protect; to secure against; attack; to maintain against force or argument; to uphold; to guard; as, to defend a town; to defend a cause; to defend character; to defend the absent; -- sometimes followed by from or against; as, to defend one's self from or against, one's enemies.
- (v.t.) To prohibit; to forbid.
- (v.t.) To ward or fend off; to drive back or away; to repel.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). defend. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/defend/definitions/1995320 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "defend" http://smartdefine.org/defend/definitions/1995320 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, defend, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/defend/definitions/1995320>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "defend" 27 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/defend/definitions/1995320> |