diff --git a/rules-tests/DowngradePhp73/Rector/ConstFetch/DowngradePhp73JsonConstRector/Fixture/skip_inside_define_check.php.inc b/rules-tests/DowngradePhp73/Rector/ConstFetch/DowngradePhp73JsonConstRector/Fixture/skip_inside_define_check.php.inc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..700515b4414
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-tests/DowngradePhp73/Rector/ConstFetch/DowngradePhp73JsonConstRector/Fixture/skip_inside_define_check.php.inc
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Rector\Tests\DowngradePhp73\Rector\FuncCall\DowngradePhp73JsonConstRector\Fixture;
+
+class SkipInsideDefineCheck
+{
+    public function run($options)
+    {
+        if (\defined('JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR')) {
+            $options = $options & ~\JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR;
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/rules/DowngradePhp72/NodeManipulator/JsonConstCleaner.php b/rules/DowngradePhp72/NodeManipulator/JsonConstCleaner.php
index 04db11a52e4..85c48f9ff7f 100644
--- a/rules/DowngradePhp72/NodeManipulator/JsonConstCleaner.php
+++ b/rules/DowngradePhp72/NodeManipulator/JsonConstCleaner.php
@@ -4,17 +4,22 @@
 
 namespace Rector\DowngradePhp72\NodeManipulator;
 
+use PhpParser\Node;
 use PhpParser\Node\Expr;
 use PhpParser\Node\Expr\BinaryOp\BitwiseOr;
 use PhpParser\Node\Expr\ConstFetch;
+use PhpParser\Node\Expr\FuncCall;
 use PhpParser\Node\Name;
+use PhpParser\Node\Scalar\String_;
+use Rector\Core\PhpParser\Node\BetterNodeFinder;
 use Rector\NodeNameResolver\NodeNameResolver;
 use Rector\NodeTypeResolver\Node\AttributeKey;
 
 final class JsonConstCleaner
 {
     public function __construct(
-        private readonly NodeNameResolver $nodeNameResolver
+        private readonly NodeNameResolver $nodeNameResolver,
+        private readonly BetterNodeFinder $betterNodeFinder
     ) {
     }
 
@@ -23,6 +28,34 @@ public function __construct(
      */
     public function clean(ConstFetch|BitwiseOr $node, array $constants): ConstFetch|Expr|null
     {
+        $defined = (bool) $this->betterNodeFinder->findFirstPreviousOfNode(
+            $node,
+            function (Node $subNode) use ($constants): bool {
+                if (! $subNode instanceof FuncCall) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                if (! $this->nodeNameResolver->isName($subNode, 'defined')) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                $args = $subNode->getArgs();
+                if (! isset($args[0])) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                if (! $args[0]->value instanceof String_) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                return in_array($args[0]->value->value, $constants, true);
+            }
+        );
+
+        if ($defined) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
         if ($node instanceof ConstFetch) {
             return $this->cleanByConstFetch($node, $constants);
         }