Crossword Dictionary
defender
defender, withstander - n
a fighter who holds out against attack
synonyms
custodian, guard, guardian, guardian angel, protection, protector
in a sentence
one of the traditional roles of an older brother is that of schoolyard defender
The second and third fouls against Clark were both for push-offs about three minutes apart in the second quarter, when The Associated Press Player of the Year was trying to dribble around defenders.
Now, with even more digital territory to cover, our already struggling cyber defenders will be overwhelmed, and their failures, as the stewards of more sensitive information, will be more costly.
But as Butler searched for an opening to the rim, his defender slid over to cut him off.
merriam-webster.com
etymology
c. 1300, defendour, "one who protects from injury a champion" (early 13c. as a surname), via Anglo-French from Old French defendeor, agent noun from defendre (see defend). The Latin word in this sense was defensor.