défendre

Défendre is a French verb with two principal senses. In its core meaning, it signifies to defend, protect, or advocate for someone or something, to shield from harm, or to support a cause, a person, a right, or a position. In a second sense, it means to prohibit or forbid someone from doing something, often expressed with the construction défendre à quelqu’un de + infinitif or in the impersonal form il est défendu d’entrer. The verb is used transitively with a direct object when discussing protection or advocacy, and with the prohibitive construction when stating a prohibition.

Reflexive use is common: se défendre means to defend oneself or to justify oneself in response to an accusation, as in se défendre contre des accusations. The noun la défense designates the act of defending, a legal defense, or military defense.

Etymology and related terms: défende derives from Latin defendere, formed with de- (away) and fend- (to strike/ward off). Related terms include la défense (defense, protection, or prohibition) and défendre (to defend or forbid).

Conjugation: present tense forms—je défends, tu défends, il défend, nous défendons, vous défendez, ils défendent; passé composé—j’ai défendu; imperfect—défendais; future—défendrai; subjunctive—que je défende; imperative—défends, défendons, défendez.

Usage notes: the prohibition sense tends to be formal or warning-like and contrasts with interdire, which is a direct synonym for forbid. The defend/defense sense is broader, covering protection, advocacy, and legal defense.

Examples: Le soldat défend le village. La cour défend ses droits. On m’a défendu de sortir. Il est défendu d’entrer. Elle se défend contre les accusations.