verb

• (transitive) To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.
• (transitive) To support by words or writing; to vindicate, talk in favour of.
• (transitive, law) To make legal defence of; to represent (the accused).
• (sports) To focus one's energies and talents on preventing opponents from scoring, as opposed to focusing on scoring.
• (sports) To attempt to retain a title, or attempt to reach the same stage in a competition as one did in the previous instance of that competition.
• (poker slang) To call a raise from the big blind.
• (transitive, obsolete) To ward off, repel (an attack or attacker).
• (transitive, obsolete) To prevent, to keep (from doing something).
• (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To prohibit, forbid.