defender

Defender is a term used to describe a person or thing that protects against attack or harm. In general usage it refers to someone who defends others, their territory, or a system from threats. The word derives from Latin defendere, via Old French defendre.

In law, the term is used to describe either the defendant in a case, who defends against the claim, or, in some jurisdictions, the defense attorney who represents that party.

In sports, a defender is a player whose primary duty is to prevent the opposing team from scoring. In football (soccer), defenders include centre-backs and full-backs; in other sports, the term may describe players assigned to the defensive side of play.

In technology and cyber security, Defender is used to denote protective software and services that guard computers and networks. The best-known example is Microsoft Defender, a family of security products that provides antivirus protection, threat detection, and other defensive features across operating systems.