defend vs repel

defend and repel both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
defend	No	No	Yes	No
repel	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, repel is a hyponym of defend; that is, repel is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than defend:

defend (verb)	repel (verb)
argue or speak in defense of	reject outright and bluntly
state or assert	force or drive back
be on the defensive; act against an attack	cause to move back by force or influence
protect against a challenge or attack	be repellent to; cause aversion in
protect or fight for as a champion	fill with distaste
fight against or resist strongly
be the defense counsel for someone in a trial