# defender

Pronunciation: US say "di-FEN-dur" /dɪˈfɛndɚ/; UK say "di-FEN-duh" /dɪˈfɛndə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. A person who protects people or property from harm or attack.
   - Simple: A person who keeps people or things safe from harm or attack.
   - _She acted as a fierce defender of her younger siblings on the playground._
   - _The castle's defenders held the walls through the long siege._
2. A player whose primary task is to stop the opposing team from scoring.
   - Simple: A player whose main job is to stop the other team from scoring.
   - _The central defender cleared the ball away from the penalty area._
   - _Their defenders pressed high up the field to win the ball back early._
3. A fighter whose role is to repel an attacking force.
   - Simple: A fighter who tries to push back people who attack.
   - _A lone defender stood at the bridge, refusing to let the enemy cross._
   - _The fortress defenders rained arrows down on the advancing army._
4. In Scots law, the party against whom a civil action is brought.
   - Simple: The person who is being sued in a civil court case in Scotland.
   - _The defender lodged written answers denying every part of the pursuer's claim._
   - _The court ordered the defenders to pay the disputed sum._

## Noun

5. A lawyer who represents defendants, especially a public defender; what is more often called a defense attorney. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A lawyer who speaks for the person being charged or sued in court.
   - _The defender argued that the evidence had been gathered illegally._
   - _During the deposition, the defender objected to nearly every question opposing counsel asked._

## Origin

From Middle English defender, partly from Anglo-Norman defendour (from Old French defendëor), and partly from Middle English defenden plus the suffix -ere, equivalent to defend + -er.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/defender (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).