Defend vs Retaliate - What's the difference?
defend | retaliate |
(obsolete) To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).
*1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , II.viii:
*:The vertue is, that neither steele, nor stone / The stroke thereof from entrance may defend .
(obsolete) To prevent, to keep (from doing something).
(transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To prohibit, forbid.
*:
*:Broder said sir launcelot wete ye wel I am ful lothe to departe oute of this realme / but the quene hath defended me soo hyhely / that me semeth she wille neuer be my good lady as she hath ben
To ward off attacks from; to fight to protect; to guard.
To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.
(legal) To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).
*{{quote-news, year=2011, date=December 14, author=Steven Morris, work=Guardian
, title= (sports) To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
(sports) To attempt to retain a title, or attempt to reach the same stage in a competition as one did in the previous edition of that competition.
(poker slang) To call a raise from the big blind.
To do something harmful or negative to get revenge for some harm; to fight back or respond in kind to an injury or affront.
To repay or requite by an act of the same kind.
* Sir T. Herbert
* Jonathan Swift
In transitive terms the difference between defend and retaliate
is that defend is to support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of while retaliate is to repay or requite by an act of the same kind.As verbs the difference between defend and retaliate
is that defend is to ward off, repel (an attack or attacker) while retaliate is to do something harmful or negative to get revenge for some harm; to fight back or respond in kind to an injury or affront.defend
English
Verb
(en verb)Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave, passage=Philip Miles, defending , said: "This was a single instance, there was no allegation of continuing behaviour over a long period of time."}}
Synonyms
* See alsoAntonyms
* attackAnagrams
*retaliate
English
Verb
(retaliat)- John insulted Peter to retaliate for Peter's acid remark earlier.
- One ambassador sent word to the duke's son that his visit should be retaliated .
- It is unlucky to be obliged to retaliate the injuries of authors, whose works are so soon forgotten that we are in danger of appearing the first aggressors.