What does “defense” mean?
- 1
nounthe act of protecting someone or something from attack
The country spends a lot on defense.
- 2
nounwords or actions that support someone or something against criticism
She spoke in defense of her friend.
- 3
nounthe players in a team whose job is to stop the other team from scoring (US: DEE-fens)
Their defense is the best in the league.
Defense at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun
- CEFR level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /dɪˈfɛns/ · dih-FENS
How to use “defense” correctly
“Defense” is the US spelling; British English writes “defence”.
Common phrases with “defense”
- in defense of
- self-defense
- national defense
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- attack
- offense
Word family
- defend
- defensive
- defender
“defense” is on these word lists
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