Cover
Cover verb - To drive danger or attack away from.
Usage example: covered the wounded soldier until he could be rescued from the downed chopper
Defend is a synonym for cover in protect topic. In some cases you can use "Defend" instead a verb "Cover", when it comes to topics like protection.
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- The trooper was in far more danger of being perforated himself because the bulky flamethrower getup both drew fire and made it harder for him to move freely to take cover or defend himself.
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He was the only "girl" interested in weapons instead of jewels, or in another version, the only one that ran to defend the city instead of running for cover.
Source: Myth / Classical Mythology -
He blows his cover when he beats the shit out of Lucas and a few Phoenix soldiers with his crutch to defend his son.
Source: Series / Terra Nova
Cite this Source
Defend and Cover. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cover/defend
Cover & Defend. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cover/defend>.
Defend or Cover. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cover/defend.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cover" and "defend" have occurred on timeline