Defends vs Depends - What's the difference?
defends | depends |
(defend)
(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.
(depend)
To hang down; to be sustained by being fastened or attached to something above.
* 1851 , Herman Melville, Moby-Dick :
* 1982 , Paul Fussell, My War :
To hang in suspense; to be pending; to be undetermined or undecided; as, a cause depending in court.
To rely on for support; to be conditioned or contingent; to be connected with anything, as a cause of existence, or as a necessary condition; — followed by on or upon, formerly by of.
(senseid)To trust; to rest with confidence; to rely; to confide; to be certain; — with on or upon; as, we depend on the word or assurance of our friends; we depend on the mail at the usual hour.
To serve; to attend; to act as a dependent or retainer.
As verbs the difference between defends and depends
is that defends is third-person singular of defend while depends is third-person singular of depend.defends
English
Verb
(head)defend
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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
*depends
English
Verb
(head)depend
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Verb
(en verb)- The long rows of teeth on the bulwarks glistened in the moonlight; and like the white ivory tusks of some huge elephant, vast curving icicles depended from the bows.
- Besides, if you worked up to be a cadet officer, you got to wear a Sam Browne belt, from which depended a nifty saber.