(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
If you ~ someone or something, you take action in order to protect them.
His courage in ~ing religious and civil rights inspired many outside the church...
? attack
VERB: V n
2.
If you ~ someone or something when they have been criticized, you argue in support of them.
Matt ~ed all of Clarence’s decisions, right or wrong...
? attack
VERB: V n
3.
When a lawyer ~s a person who has been accused of something, the lawyer argues on their behalf in a court of law that the charges are not true.
...a lawyer who ~ed political prisoners during the military regime...
He has hired a lawyer to ~ him against the allegations...
Guy Powell, ~ing, told magistrates: ‘It’s a sad and disturbing case.’
VERB: V n, V n against n, V
4.
When a sports player plays in the tournament which they won the previous time it was held, you can say that they are ~ing their title. (JOURNALISM)
Torrence expects to ~ her title successfully in the next Olympics...
VERB: V n