The defense lawyer was confident that he would be able to answer the prosecutor's arguments in his rebuttal.
Source: tatoeba (1969)
Defense
/dɪˈfɛns/
Synonyms for "defense" (258 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (52)
Noun(21 words)
defenceprotectionsafeguardshieldadvocacyalibialibiingalibisamparoapologiasapologiesargumentbarricadebattlementblockingbreastplatebreastplatesbucklerbulwarkscarapaces
Show 1 more word
claim support
Strong matches (77)
Noun(35 words)
communication avoidancecounteractioncounteractionscuirassdefence forcedefence mechanismdefence reactiondefendersdefendingdefending teamdefense departmentdefense forcedefense lawyersdefense linedefense mechanismdefense reactiondefense teamdefensingdefensive measuredefensive structure
Show 15 more words
defensive unitdemurrerdenialdepartment of defensedisputationsdodespousingexcusingexplain verbfieldersfieldingfielding teamforces readingfortificationfortifying
Verb(1 words)
Adjective(1 words)
french sécurité
Related words (129)
Noun(36 words)
garrisoningguardguardingimmunityinterpositionjustificationsjustify the claimjustifyinglegitimizingparriesparryingpavisepleapleaspraesidiumpreservationprotectingprotectorsrationalizingrefutation
Show 16 more words
repulsesrepulsingresistancesroman soldier armorroman soldier shieldsafeguardingshieldsteam defenseunited states department of defenseupholdingvindicatingvindicationvindicationsvivawardwarding
gategravity damgroinguardhasslehubbubhydraulic-fill damiron curtainjamjettyjustificationleaping weirleeleveelitigationlogjamlogomachymilldammoatmole
Show 66 more words
moundmunitionsobjectionpaper warparapetpassage of armspleapleadingpleadingspolemicpolemicsportcullispreservationprotectionprotective custodyrampartrationalizationrebuttalrebutterrefugerefutationrejoinderreplicationreplyresistanceresponseretortreturnrhubarbriposteroadblockrock-fill damsafeguardsafekeepingsafetyseawallsecurityself-defenseself-preservationself-protectionset toset-toshadeshadowsheltershieldshutter damspecial demurrerspecial pleadingstatement of defensestone wallstrongholdsurrebuttalsurrebuttersurrejoinderverbal engagementwallwar of wordswardwatchful eyeweaponryweaponsweirwicket damworkwrangling
Adjective(3 words)
good justificationmoral stancesubstantiating claims
Verb(3 words)
justify claimplay defenseuphold a claim
Preposition(1 words)
with no justification
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: defence, protection, safeguard, shield, advocacy.
- Sentence evidence is available for defense, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "defense".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "defense"
Keep "defense" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "defense" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "defense", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "defense" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
28 entriesaccumulationactionaggregationanswerassemblagecollectionconstructioncourt proceduredue processdue process of lawexecutive departmentjustificationlegal conceptlegal mattermilitary actionorganisation
Showing 16 of 28 words.
More specific
11 entriesCollocations
5 entriesdefense attorneydefense budgetdefense mechanismdefense strategynational defense
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
4 entriesAntonyms
2 entriesTranslations
66 translations across 32 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ἀπολογία noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Armenian
1 entries- պաշտպանություն noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Bulgarian
2 entries- отбра́на noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- отбрани́телни съоръже́ния noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Catalan
2 entries- defensa noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- protecció noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- بەرگری noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 防禦物 /防御物 noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Czech
2 entries- obrana noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- obrana noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Danish
1 entries- forsvar noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Dutch
3 entries- verdediging noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- verweer noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- verweer noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Faroese
1 entries- verja noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Finnish
3 entries- puolustelu noun (argument in support or justification of something)
- puolustus noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- puolustus noun (argument in support or justification of something)
French
1 entries- défense noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Georgian
1 entries- თავდაცვა noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
German
1 entries- Verteidigung noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Gothic
1 entries- 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉𐌽𐍃 noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Greek
1 entries- άμυνα noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Hebrew
1 entries- הגנה noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Hungarian
4 entries- védekezés noun (argument in support or justification of something)
- védelem noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- védelem noun (argument in support or justification of something)
- védés noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Italian
2 entries- difesa noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- difesa noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Latin
3 entries- dēfēnsa noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- mūnīmen noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- mūnīmentum noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Macedonian
2 entries- одбрана noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- одбрана noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Māori
1 entries- whakarurunga noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Old English
1 entries- bewering noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Polish
2 entries- obrona noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- obrona noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Portuguese
3 entries- defesa noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- defesa noun (argument in support or justification of something)
- escudo noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Romanian
2 entries- apărare noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- apărare noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Russian
4 entries- защи́та noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- защи́та noun (argument in support or justification of something)
- оборо́на noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- оборони́тельные сооруже́ния noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- ȍbrana noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- ȍbrana noun (argument in support or justification of something)
- ȍdbrana noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- ȍdbrana noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Spanish
2 entries- defensa noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- descargo noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Swedish
3 entries- försvar noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- försvar noun (argument in support or justification of something)
- värn noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
Urdu
1 entries- صَفائی noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Vietnamese
4 entries- phòng ngự noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- phòng thủ noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- phòng vệ noun (anything employed to oppose attack)
- phản biện noun (argument in support or justification of something)
Sample sentences
18 total sentences available.
Karate is an art of unarmed defense.
Source: tatoeba (18180)
Our combined fleet broke through the enemy's defense zone.
Source: tatoeba (29161)
The outlook for the defense program is dismal.
Source: tatoeba (43969)
Showing 4 of 18 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "defense"?
Closest matches include defence, protection, safeguard, shield, advocacy.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "defense"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.