defence
He said that he was prepared to die in defence of the country that he loved.
It was brave of her to speak up in defence of the protesters.
The strike was called in defence of workers' rights.
It might be said in defence of these newspapers that very little was known about him at the time.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Defending and protecting
air defence
anti-bug
anti-mosquito
baby
bandobast
cocoon
defensive
duck
duck and coveridiom
embedded
featherbedding
fight back
hedge
insulate
poisonous
security light
self-protective
self-protectiveness
shelter
sheltered

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Backing, supporting & defending