What does défendre in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word défendre in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use défendre in French.

The word défendre in French means defend, champion, defend, defend, ban from doing, defend yourself, protect yourself against , defend yourself against, [can] hold your own, [can] hold your own, [can] hold your own in , [can] hold your own at, fight tooth and nail for, protect the weak and defenceless, wear 's national colours, defend 's colours, maintain position, compete well, defend convictions, defend your ideas, stand up for your ideas, defend your turf, defend a title. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word défendre

defend

verbe transitif (protéger)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Les villageois faisaient tout pour défendre leur village assiégé.
The villagers did everything they could to defend their besieged village.

champion

verbe transitif (soutenir : des idées,...)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Ces militants défendent la cause animale. Nous défendons les droits des travailleurs.
We are standing up for the rights of the workers.

defend

verbe transitif (soutenir)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Sophie défend toujours son frère, même quand il fait les pires bêtises.
Sophie always defends her brother., even when he does really stupid things.

defend

verbe transitif (plaider pour)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Comment un avocat peut-il défendre un homme aussi mauvais ?
How can a lawyer defend such an awful man?

ban from doing

locution verbale (interdire)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Son père lui a défendu de sortir.
Her father forbade her to go out.

defend yourself

verbe pronominal (se battre)

(transitive verb and reflexive pronoun: Transitive verb with reflexive pronoun--for example, "Enjoy yourself." "They behaved themselves.")
C'est cet homme qui s'est jeté sur moi. Moi, je me suis juste défendu.
It was that man who went for me; I just defended myself.

protect yourself against , defend yourself against

(se protéger)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Nous nous défendons du froid en allumant le chauffage.
We protect ourselves against the cold by turning on the heating.

[can] hold your own

verbe pronominal (se tirer d'affaire) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Ne t'inquiète pas, je sais me défendre.
Don't worry, I can hold my own.

[can] hold your own, [can] hold your own in , [can] hold your own at

verbe pronominal (être bon dans une matière)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Je me défends au poker. Cet élève se défend bien en informatique.
This pupil is getting on (or: getting on well) in his computing.

fight tooth and nail for

locution verbale (défendre avec virulence [qch] ou [qqn])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Les féministes défendent bec et ongles les droits des femmes.

protect the weak and defenceless

locution verbale (prendre le parti des plus faibles)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

wear 's national colours, defend 's colours

locution verbale (se battre pour une équipe, un pays) (UK)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

maintain position, compete well

locution verbale (ne pas se laisser faire, s'imposer)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")

defend convictions

locution verbale (argumenter pour ses idées)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")

defend your ideas, stand up for your ideas

locution verbale (argumenter)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

defend your turf

locution verbale (se battre pour ses prérogatives)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

defend a title

locution verbale (remettre en jeu sa première place)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

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So now that you know more about the meaning of défendre in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.