defender (sostener, hacer respetar)
verbCEFR B2
What does “defender (sostener, hacer respetar)” mean in English?
to uphold, to defend
to uphold, to defend (defender — maintain a principle, right, or legal norm against challenge)
Example sentences
El tribunal está obligado a defender la constitucionalidad de las leyes frente a cualquier intento de subversión.
The court is obliged to uphold the constitutionality of laws against any attempt at subversion.
La organización lleva décadas defendiendo los derechos de las comunidades desplazadas por conflictos armados.
The organisation has been defending the rights of communities displaced by armed conflicts for decades.
Supo defender su postura con datos sólidos y argumentos bien estructurados durante el debate.
She managed to defend her position with solid data and well-structured arguments during the debate.
How to use it
Defender in the 'uphold' sense means to defend and maintain a principle, right, or legal norm: defender la constitución, defender los derechos humanos, defender una postura. It implies active, ongoing maintenance against a challenge. The reflexive defenderse means 'to defend oneself'. At B2, this verb appears in legal, political, and values discourse. Near-synonyms: sostener (sustain/uphold a position — intellectual), mantener (maintain — broader), preservar (preserve — implies protecting from loss over time).
Common mistake
Defender (uphold/defend) takes a direct object (defender los derechos, defender una postura). Defenderse de (defend oneself from) is the reflexive + de structure. Don't confuse with apoyar (support — endorse without the active maintenance sense) or respaldar (back up — give backing to).