DEFENDING definition: 1. present participle of defend 2. to protect someone or something against attack or criticism: 3.. Learn more. Find 124 different ways to say DEFENDING, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com. 5 days agoΒ Β· attempting to or designed to prevent an opponent from winning or scoring synonyms: defensive intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack

There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun defending, one of which is labelled obsolete. See β€˜Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.