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defend against

[dɪˈfɛnd əˈɡɛnst]
verb
defender-se contra
1. to protect oneself or something from attack, harm, or an unwanted action
We need to defend against cyber attacks.
Precisamos nos defender contra ataques cibernéticos.
2. to take action to resist or oppose something
The company is defending against lawsuits.
A empresa está se defendendo contra processos judiciais.
3. in sports, to position oneself to prevent the opposing team from scoring
The team defended against the opponent's attacks effectively.
O time se defendeu contra os ataques do adversário com eficácia.
Synonyms
protect againstguard againstshield fromresistoppose
Antonyms
attackassaultsurrender toyield to

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
defender-se contra
most common usage
São Paulo
se defender contra
standard usage in business and legal contexts
Portugal
defender-se contra
identical to Brazilian Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

fight off
hold the line
stand one's ground
weather the storm
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