What does "defense" mean?
The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.
Defense
/dɪˈfɛns/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.
- Grammar: defense is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: defence, protection, safeguard, shield.
- Useful contrasts: cryptanalytic attack, nonmilitary aid, offensive.
- Usage evidence: The defense lawyer was confident that he would be able to answer the prosecutor's arguments in his rebuttal.
How to use "defense"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "defense" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "defense" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "defense" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "defense" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "defense" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "defence" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "defense", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 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
Show 15 more definitions
- 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
Verb
- 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, […]"
Antonyms
Example
"The defense lawyer was confident that he would be able to answer the prosecutor's arguments in his rebuttal."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "defense"?
Common synonyms include: defence, protection, safeguard, shield, advocacy, aegis.
How do you use "defense" in a sentence?
The defense lawyer was confident that he would be able to answer the prosecutor's arguments in his rebuttal.
How do you pronounce "defense"?
Pronounced /dɪˈfɛns/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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.
Etymology 2
From Middle English defencen, defensen, from Old French defenser or its etymon, Latin dēfēnsō.