Defend
Defend verb - To drive danger or attack away from.
Usage example: a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost
Guard is a synonym for defend in protect topic. In some cases you can use "Guard" instead the word "Defend" as a verb or a noun, when it comes to topics like activity, attack, hide. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- Also a case of Meaningful Name Author seems to replace defend or guard with ward in the novel also Lamp Shaded.
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There is a clear example in Tolkien's The Silmarillion: Melian the Maia uses her powers to guard and defend Doriath with a protection called the Girdle of Melian.
Source: Barrier Maiden -
Ar Nosurge have the same guard commands, but you can only defend three times when the enemy bosses may attack more often than that.
Source: Video Game / EXA_PICO
Cite this Source
Guard and Defend. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/defend/guard
Defend & Guard. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/defend/guard>.
Guard or Defend. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/defend/guard.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "defend" and "guard" have occurred on timeline