Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

defender

/dɪˈfɛndə(ɹ)/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.11 in modern English

Syllables: de-fend-er
IPA: /dɪˈfɛndə(ɹ)/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Someone who defends people or property.

noun

One of the players whose primary task is to prevent the opposition from scoring.

noun

A fighter who seeks to repel an attack.

noun

A lawyer who represents defendants, especially a public defender; a defense attorney (US) or defence counsel (UK).

noun

A defendant in a civil action.

Example Sentences

"There was another protection to which she was intitled by that law, namely, a defender; but she had none."
"So, what is contemplated under this model is that the defender would work with civil legal services lawyers to address the clients' needs."
"It puts you at the head of the table, at a right angle to the witness; the court reporter sits to your right, and the defender sits on the witness's far side."

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.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: defender, defendour, defendëor, defenden

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /dɪˈfɛndə(ɹ)/

Inflected Forms

defenders (plural) defendor (alternative, obsolete) defendour (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

defenderless defendership defendress

Phrases

central defender ear defender key defender

Synonyms

forefighter protector guardian shielder withstander

Rhymes With

gender tender surrender transgender vendor render offender lender contender slender blender fender

Questions

How do you pronounce defender?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈfɛndə(ɹ)/.
What does defender mean?: Someone who defends people or property.
Where does defender come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce defender

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Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪˈfɛndə(ɹ)/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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