defence

[dih-fens]

See more synonyms for defence on Thesaurus.com

noun, verb (used with object), de·fenced, de·fenc·ing. Chiefly British.

defense.

Related formsde·fence·a·ble, adjectivede·fence·less, adjectivede·fence·less·ly, adverbde·fence·less·ness, nounpre·de·fence, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for defenceless

Contemporary Examples

The “find and operate” missions that followed were directed at the most vulnerable and defenceless individuals in the country.
Hold Onto Your Penis
David Frum, Justin Green
November 29, 2012

Historical Examples

This poor queen is defenceless, because her civilization is dead, too.
It Happened in Egypt
C. N. Williamson
None but cowards will insult and taunt the defeated and defenceless.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VII (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
I know, of course, that he had killed a poor, defenceless old woman.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
Never had greater want and misery fallen on defenceless creatures.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
The acrobatics which he performed with that defenceless consonant were marvelous.
Kent Knowles: Quahaug
Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for defenceless

defence

US defense

noun

resistance against danger, attack, or harm; protection
a person or thing that provides such resistance
a plea, essay, speech, etc, in support of something; vindication; justification
1. a country's military measures or resources
2. (as modifier)defence spending
law a defendant's denial of the truth of the allegations or charge against him
law the defendant and his legal advisers collectivelyCompare prosecution
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 defencethe players in a team whose function is to do this
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
psychoanal See defence mechanism
(plural) fortifications

Derived Formsdefenceless or US defenseless, adjectivedefencelessly or US defenselessly, adverbdefencelessness or US defenselessness, noun

Word Origin

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for defenceless

defence

see defense.

defence

Examples from the Web for defenceless

Contemporary Examples

The “find and operate” missions that followed were directed at the most vulnerable and defenceless individuals in the country.

Historical Examples

This poor queen is defenceless, because her civilization is dead, too.

None but cowards will insult and taunt the defeated and defenceless.

I know, of course, that he had killed a poor, defenceless old woman.

Never had greater want and misery fallen on defenceless creatures.

The acrobatics which he performed with that defenceless consonant were marvelous.

defence

US defense

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}defenceless

defence

Word Origin and History for defenceless