Defend
Defend verb - To drive danger or attack away from.
Turn on
Turn on verb - To take sudden, violent action against.
Usage example: it is dangerous to keep tigers as house pets, as they often turn on their masters without warning
Both terms in one sentence
- Unfortunately, they don't get to revel in the fruits of their labor, as they immediately turn on each other, then get wiped out trying to defend against the Un-Sealed Evil in a Can Onaga.
Source: The Bad Guy Wins / Video Games - In Sonic Boom, the villagers of the unnamed village that Sonic and his friends defend from Eggman are always quick to turn on Sonic, and think the worst of him no matter what the situation is.
Source: Ungrateful Townsfolk -
Spidey: ...'cause you are a tyrant, and I can't wait until I turn on my TV and see you trying to defend yourself in the Hague.
Source: Self Demonstrating / Doctor Doom
Cite this Source
Turn on and Defend. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/defend/turn_on
Defend & Turn on. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/defend/turn_on>.
Turn on or Defend. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/defend/turn_on.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "defend" and "turn on" have occurred on timeline