defend

verb

1. (transitive)To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.

   “Most Zionists hoped for a state of their own, but early in the 20th century, writers like Hillel Solotaroff and Chaim Zhitlowsky, both Yiddish-speaking immigrant intellectuals in New York, imagined another alternative: a federation of self-governing anarchist communes in Palestine that would defend Jewish life without relying on state power.”

2. (transitive)To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.

   “Justice Elena Kagan on Thursday defended the code of conduct the Supreme Court created last year, but conceded there needs to be a way to enforce the rules for it to be more effective.”

3. (transitive)To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).

   “Philip Miles, defending, said: "This was a single instance, there was no allegation of continuing behaviour over a long period of time."”

4. To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
5. Mostly in tests. The action of not putting force into hitting a shot, but to conserve energy and wear down bowlers so they can attack later.

   “The teams strategy was to defend but score runs as well for the first 20 overs.”

6. To attempt to retain a title, or attempt to reach the same stage in a competition as one did in the previous instance of that competition.
7. (slang)To call a raise from the big blind.
8. (obsolete, transitive)To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).

   “The vertue is, that neither steele, nor stone The stroke thereof from entrance may defend[…].”

9. (obsolete, transitive)To prevent, to keep (from doing something).
10. (intransitive, obsolete, transitive)To prohibit, forbid.

    “Broder said sir launcelot wete ye wel I am ful lothe to departe oute of this realme but the quene hath defended me soo hyhely that me semeth she wille neuer be my good lady as she hath ben”