self-defense

American  

[self-di-fens, self-] / ˈsɛlf dɪˈfɛns, ˌsɛlf- /

British, self-defence

noun

1. the act of defending one's person when physically attacked, as by countering blows or overcoming an assailant.

   the art of self-defense.

2. a claim or plea that the use of force or injuring or killing another was necessary in defending one's own person from physical attack.

   He shot the man who was trying to stab him and pleaded self-defense at the murder trial.

3. an act or instance of defending or protecting one's own interests, property, ideas, etc., as by argument or strategy.

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Other Word Forms

• self-defensive adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-defense

First recorded in 1645–55

Example Sentences

Their defense team said the two acted in lawful self-defense.

From The Wall Street Journal

So the managers take them public in self-defense.

From The Wall Street Journal

But allow me an explanation and a self-defense.

From The Wall Street Journal

The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act obligated Washington to provide the island with arms for its own self-defense.

From The Wall Street Journal

This last comment came from a fellow traveler, ruefully disclosing an act of self-defense many years ago.

From Los Angeles Times

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