defend
The lawyer will defend the accused in court.
Der Anwalt wird den Angeklagten vor Gericht verteidigen.
sich gegen einen Angriff oder Vorwurf schützen oder jemandem helfen, indem man ihn unterstützt
She defended her thesis brilliantly.
Sie verteidigte ihre Dissertation brillant.
The castle was hard to defend against the invaders.
Die Burg war schwer gegen die Eindringlinge zu verteidigen.
Can be used in legal, physical, or abstract contexts.
etwas gegen Kritik oder Angriffe argumentativ rechtfertigen
He defended his decision to resign in a public statement.
Er verteidigte seine Entscheidung, zurückzutreten, in einer öffentlichen Erklärung.
Often used in debates or discussions.
Kollokationen
Verwandte Ausdrücke
Profi-Tipp
Preposition usage
Use 'defend against' for physical or abstract threats (e.g., 'defend against criticism'). Use 'defend from' in older or literary contexts, but 'against' is more common today.
Goldene Regel
Reflexive vs. non-reflexive
Use 'defend oneself' when the subject is the one being protected (e.g., 'She defended herself'). Omit 'oneself' when defending someone else (e.g., 'He defended his client').
Wortursprung
From Middle English defenden, from Old French defendre (modern French défendre), from Latin dēfendere (“to ward off, defend, protect”), from de- (“away”) + -fendere (“to strike, push”); cognate with German *fechten* and English *fend*.
Verwendungshinweise
The verb 'defend' can be used transitively (e.g., 'defend a city') or reflexively (e.g., 'defend oneself'). In legal contexts, it often refers to representing someone in court.