defence

[dih-fens]

noun

defenced, defencing 

1. British.,  variant of defense.

defence

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of defence¹

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

Example Sentences

He may still be able to fit in a voluntary defence with Wilder if an opponent is agreed quickly, with several mandatory challengers with other organisations already tied up.

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Denmark's representative Elsebeth Sondergaard Krone, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the bloc "stands firm in defence of the court in the face of threats and sanctions against the court".

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But the club's defence has been abysmal, conceding the most goals in the Bundesliga.

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It follows the "Kensington Treaty" signed this summer between the UK and Germany, which included closer co-operation on defence and plans for easier travel between the two countries, including a direct rail link.

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"It could be a pivotal week for diplomacy. We heard yesterday that the talks in America were difficult but productive," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas added at a meeting of EU defence ministers.

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