defend

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To make or keep safe from danger, attack, or harm.
2. v. Sports To attempt to prevent the opposition from scoring while playing in or near (a goal or area of a field, for example).
3. v. Sports To be responsible for guarding (an opposing player).
4. v. Sports To compete against a challenger in an attempt to retain (a championship).
5. v. To support or maintain, as by argument or action; justify.
6. v. Law To represent (a defendant) in a civil or criminal action.
7. v. Law To attempt to disprove or invalidate (an action or claim).
8. v. To make a defense.
9. v. Sports To play defense.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To drive off or away; thrust back; fend or ward off; repel.
2. To forbid; prohibit; forefend.
3. To ward off attack from; guard against assault or injury; shield: as, to defend a fortress.
4. To vindicate; uphold; maintain by force, argument, or evidence: as, to defend one's rights and privileges; to defend a cause or claim at law.
5. Synonyms Protect, Shelter, etc. (see keep), guard, shield. Maintain, Vindicate, etc. See assert.
6. In law, to make opposition; enter or make defense: as, the party comes into court, defends, and says.

Wiktionary

1. v. transitive, obsolete To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).
2. v. transitive, obsolete To prevent, to keep (from doing something).
3. v. transitive, intransitive, obsolete To prohibit, forbid.
4. v. transitive To ward off attacks from; to fight to protect; to guard.
5. v. transitive To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.
6. v. transitive, law To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).
7. v. sports To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
8. v. sports To attempt to retain a title, or attempt to reach the same stage in a competition as one did in the previous edition of that competition.
9. v. poker slang To call a raise from the big blind.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. A Latinism & Obs. To ward or fend off; to drive back or away; to repel.
2. v. obsolete To prohibit; to forbid.
3. v. To repel danger or harm from; to protect; to secure against attack; to maintain against force or argument; to uphold; to guard; ; -- sometimes followed by from or against.
4. v. (Law.) 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.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. protect or fight for as a champion
2. v. be the defense counsel for someone in a trial
3. v. protect against a challenge or attack
4. v. argue or speak in defense of
5. v. fight against or resist strongly
6. v. be on the defensive; act against an attack
7. v. state or assert