hold out vs defend

hold out and defend both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
hold out	No	No	Yes	No
defend	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, defend is a hypernym of hold out; that is, defend is a word with a broader meaning than hold out:

Other hypernyms of hold out include fight, fight back, fight down, oppose.

hold out (verb)	defend (verb)
thrust or extend out	argue or speak in defense of
stand up or offer resistance to somebody or something	state or assert
continue to live and avoid dying	be on the defensive; act against an attack
last and be usable	protect against a challenge or attack
wait uncompromisingly for something desirable	protect or fight for as a champion
	fight against or resist strongly
	be the defense counsel for someone in a trial