Defend

·vt To Prohibit; to Forbid.

II. Defend ·vt To ward or fend off; to drive back or away; to Repel.

III. Defend ·vt 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.

IV. Defend ·vt To repel danger or harm from; to Protect; to secure against; attack; to maintain against force or argument; to Uphold; to Guard; as, to defend a town; to defend a cause; to defend character; to defend the absent;

— sometimes followed by from or against; as, to defend one's self from, or against, one's enemies.