defense
See also: défense
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From French défense, itself from Late Latin dēfensa (“protection”). Displaced native Old English bewering.
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA(key): /dɪˈfɛns/
Audio (US) (file) - (sports): (US, often) IPA(key): /ˈdiːˌfɛns/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛns
Noun edit
defense (countable and uncountable, plural defenses) (American spelling)
- The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.
- Anything employed to oppose attack(s).
- An argument in support or justification of something.
- to come to someone's defense
- (government, military, euphemistic) Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military.
- Department of Defense
- (obsolete) A prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.
Synonyms edit
- See also Thesaurus:defense
Antonyms edit
- offense
- (law) prosecution
Derived terms edit
- affirmative defense
- antidefense
- anti-slut defense
- attack is the best form of defense
- chemical defense
- Chewbacca defense
- civil defense
- defense attorney
- defense in abatement
- defense-independent pitching statistics
- defense in depth
- defense lawyer
- defenseless
- defense mechanism
- defense wound
- defensive
- defensiveness
- ecodefense
- eco-defense
- gay panic defense
- homosexual panic defense
- man-to-man defense
- Matrix defense
- Nuremberg defense
- orbital defense platform
- Pac-Man defense
- passive defense
- personal defense weapon
- prevent defense
- self-defense
- self-defense wound
- Shaggy defense
- space defense
- special defense
- the best defense is a good offense
- thesis defense
- tower defense
- trans panic defense
- zone defense
Translations edit
action of protecting from attack
|
anything employed to oppose attack
|
team sports: strategy and tactics
|
team sports: portion of a team
argument in support or justification of something
|
government policy or structure
|
Latin edit
Pronunciation edit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /deːˈfen.se/, [d̪eːˈfẽːs̠ɛ]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /deˈfen.se/, [d̪eˈfɛnse]
Participle edit
dēfēnse
Portuguese edit
Verb edit
defense
- inflection of defensar:
Spanish edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
defense
- inflection of defensar: