Meaning of defence in English

Table of contents

Noun
defence
Definitions
1. (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
2. (sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring
Examples
- « his teams are always good on defense »
Antonyms
Derived terms
- defend
3. the defendant and his legal advisors collectively
Examples
- « the defense called for a mistrial »
Antonyms
- prosecution
Derived terms
- defend
- represent
4. an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack
Examples
- « he joined the defense against invasion »
Derived terms
5. the speech act of answering an attack on your assertions
Examples
- « his refutation of the charges was short and persuasive »
- « in defense he said the other man started it »
Derived terms
- rebut
- refute
6. the justification for some act or belief
Examples
- « he offered a persuasive defense of the theory »
Derived terms
7. a structure used for defense
Examples
- « the artillery battered down the defenses »
8. a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him
Examples
- « he gave evidence for the defense »
Antonyms
- prosecution
- criminal prosecution
Derived terms
- deny
- traverse
9. military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
Examples
- « they died in the defense of Stalingrad »
- « they were developed for the defense program »
10. protection from harm
Examples
- « sanitation is the best defense against disease »

Famous quotes

« Ten years ago U.S. defence investment represented almost half of all defence expenditure in the whole alliance. Today it is 75%. This increasing economic gap may also lead to an increasing technology gap which will almost hamper the inter-operability between our forces. »
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
« He that rebels against reason is a real rebel, but he that in defence of reason rebels against tyranny has a better title to Defender of the Faith, than George the Third. »
Thomas Paine
« I don't imagine Heads of Government would ever be able to say I'm not an economist therefore I can't take decisions on matters of the economy I'm not a soldier I can't take decisions on matters of defence I'm not an educationist so I can't take decisions about education. »
Thabo Mbeki
« I do not intend to dispute in any way the need for defence cuts and the need for government spending cuts in general. I do not share a not in my backyard approach to government spending reductions. »
Stephen Harper
« I don't know if this is the kind of retrospective analysis that people are fond of applying to their work or actions, but it feels like I knew I was going to be famous and I knew that an element of that would be traumatic, so that if I could make myself something big and otherworldly, it would be a kind of defence. »
Russell Brand