defence

American  

[dih-fens] / dɪˈfɛns /

noun

defenced, defencing

1. British. variant of defense.

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defence British  

/ dɪˈfɛns /

noun

1. resistance against danger, attack, or harm; protection

2. a person or thing that provides such resistance

3. a plea, essay, speech, etc, in support of something; vindication; justification

4. 1. a country's military measures or resources

   2. ( as modifier )

      defence spending

5. law a defendant's denial of the truth of the allegations or charge against him

6. law the defendant and his legal advisers collectively Compare prosecution

7. sport

   1. the action of protecting oneself, one's goal, or one's allotted part of the playing area against an opponent's attacks

   2. the method of doing this

   3. the players in a team whose function is to do this

8. American football (usually preceded by the)

   1. the team that does not have possession of the ball

   2. the members of a team that play in such circumstances

9. psychoanal See defence mechanism

10. (plural) fortifications

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Other Word Forms

• defencelessness
  noun
• predefence
  noun
• defenceable
  adjective
• defenceless
  adjective
• defencelessly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of defence

C13: from Old French, from Late Latin dēfensum, past participle of dēfendere to _defend

Compare meaning

How does defence compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• offence vs. defence

Explanation

This word does NOT mean taking down a fence; it is the British spelling of "defense" — a word that means the act of protecting or defending. Wearing garlic around your neck might be your defence against vampires. Defence can be verbal as well as physical. If you're in court charged with a crime, you (and your lawyer, if you have one) are called "the defence." If your only defence is that you were sleepwalking when you robbed a gas station, you might be going away for awhile. If you play defence in a team sport, your main job is to keep the other team from scoring (so stay wide awake).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

defence defenced defencing

The fire service has had to deploy special measures in Gironde to protect a number of sites linked to France's defence and aerospace industries.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Unlike bees or wasps, which sting as a defence mechanism to protect themselves, a jellyfish sting is an automatic reflex, not a deliberate attack.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

The Japanese military has mobilised 3,600 personnel for disaster relief operations and sent 20 aircraft to assess the damage from the air, the defence minister said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

At 26, it could be said that Crystal Palace and France defence Lacroix is in his prime, but the £52m target is still notably older than other recent Blues signings.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

This may not happen, but even if it does it will not increase your security, since it is a vile kind of defence, and is not under your control.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Meanwhile Ralegh's fleet had arrived at Gomera, "one of the strongest and best defenced places of all the islands, and the best port; the town being seated upon the very wash of the sea."

From Great Ralegh by Selincourt, Hugh de

Crichton Castle was much more a defenced château and less a feudal stronghold than Thrieve.

From The Black Douglas by Richards, Frank

And the town of Plassenburg under Karl the Prince is a defenced city, set in a strong province, content and united.

From Red Axe by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)

My life is twisted in a Thread with thine; Were't not defenced, there could nothing come To make this cheeke looke pale, which at your Eye Will not fall dead before you.—

From A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 2 by Bullen, A. H. (Arthur Henry)

That the weather being calm, he rowed round me several times, observed my windows and wire-lattices that defenced them.

From Gulliver's Travels Into Several Remote Regions of the World by Balliet, Thomas M.

"Father Marcelo has been a symbol of resistance and support in Chiapas, defencing the dignity, the rights of the people, and the construction of an authentic peace," the Jesuit Order said.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2024

Then there was fencing and defencing, for nothing could stand against the King's persistent rancor, and Cecil's dissimulation.

From Thomas Hariot, the Mathematician, the Philosopher and the Scholar by Stevens, Henry