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Defense
Definitions
- 1 The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury. US, countable, uncountable
- 2 the act of defending someone or something against attack or injury wordnet
- 3 Anything employed to oppose attack(s).; A strategy and tactics employed to prevent the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense. US, countable, uncountable
- 4 protection from harm wordnet
- 5 Anything employed to oppose attack(s).; The portion of a team dedicated to preventing the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense. US, countable, uncountable
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- 6 (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies wordnet
- 7 An argument in support or justification of something. US, countable, uncountable
"to come to someone's defense"
- 8 a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against them wordnet
- 9 An argument in support or justification of something.; The case presented by the defendant in a legal proceeding. US, broadly, countable, uncountable
- 10 a structure used to defend against attack wordnet
- 11 An argument in support or justification of something.; The lawyer or team thereof who presents such a case. US, broadly, countable, uncountable
- 12 the justification for some act or belief wordnet
- 13 Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military. US, countable, euphemistic, uncountable
"Department of Defense"
- 14 the speech act of answering an attack on your assertions wordnet
- 15 A prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance. US, countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 16 an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack wordnet
- 17 the defendant and their legal advisors collectively wordnet
- 18 (sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring wordnet
- 19 the federal department responsible for safeguarding national security of the United States; created in 1947 wordnet
- 20 (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires wordnet
- 1 To employ defensive tactics (so as to block). US
"In fact, there is an increase in the effectiveness of the Five Cutter Offense when teams put pressure on, instead of sagging or switching in an attempt to defense the attack successfully."
- 2 To furnish with defenses; to defend, protect. US, archaic
"In the ſyege of greate cities, takyng a bygge compaſſe rounde abowte, we muſt wyth all laboure: make and intercut not farre of the citie, bꝛode and depe trenches defenſed wyth turrettes of woodde, […]"
Etymology
From Middle English defens, defense, from Old French defens, defense, from Late Latin dēfēnsa (“protection”). Displaced native Old English bewering. The verb is from the noun.
From Middle English defens, defense, from Old French defens, defense, from Late Latin dēfēnsa (“protection”). Displaced native Old English bewering. The verb is from the noun.
From Middle English defencen, defensen, from Old French defenser or its etymon, Latin dēfēnsō.
See also for "defense"
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