defense
[dih-fens or especially for 7, 9, dee-fens]
- resistance against attack; protection: Two more regiments are needed for the defense of the city.
- something that defends, as a fortification, physical or mental quality, or medication: This fort was once the main defense of the island.
- the defending of a cause or the like by speech, argument, etc.: He spoke in defense of the nation's foreign policy.
- a speech, argument, etc., in vindication: She delivered a defense of free enterprise.
- Law.
- the denial or pleading of the defendant in answer to the claim or charge that has been made.
- the proceedings adopted by a defendant, or the defendant's legal agents, for defending against the charges that have been made.
- a defendant and his or her counsel.
- Psychology. defense mechanism(def 2).
- Sports.
- the practice or art of defending oneself or one's goal against attack, as in fencing, boxing, soccer, or football.
- the team attempting to thwart the attack of the team having the ball or puck.
- the players of a team who line up in their own defensive zone.
- the positions on the field, ice, etc., taken by such players.
- (initial capital letter) Also called Defense Department. Informal. the Department of Defense.
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- Sports. to defend against (an opponent, play, or tactic).
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Also especially British, defence.
Origin of defense
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Late Latin dēfēnsa a forbidding, noun use of feminine of past participle of Latin dēfendere to defend; replacing Middle English defens < Anglo-French, Old French < Medieval Latin defēnsum (thing) forbidden, neuter past participle of Latin dēfendere
Synonyms
See more synonyms for defense on Thesaurus.com1. security, preservation, safeguard. 3. support, advocacy, justification.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for defenseless
Contemporary Examples
I understand why you were so moved that you left your secure, comfortable lives to defend the defenseless in a far off land.
Heinous acts, especially when perpetrated on defenseless minors, elicit equally heinous responses even in sane minds.
Twenty defenseless children were gunned down by a sick individual.
The U.N. agenda, she said, is “to disarm people,” implying it would leave the defenseless even more so.
Their ability to launch a surprise strike renders us defenseless.
Historical Examples
And all this had to come through their defenseless interpreter—me.
The HarborErnest Poole
That meant they knew where Earth was, and how defenseless the planet was to their form of attack.
The Hour of BattleRobert Sheckley
I shouldn't say that shooting a defenseless man answers that requirement.
The Vagrant DukeGeorge Gibbs
But in his eyes there was no look of the defenseless: only a light of passionate contempt.
"You're a coward, to strike a defenseless man," said Mr. Baxter contemptuously.
The Young Treasure HunterFrank V. Webster
Word Origin and History for defenseless
defense
n.
c.1300, "forbidding, prohibition," also "action of guarding or protecting," from Old French defense, from Latin defensus, past participle of defendere "ward off, protect" (see defend). But it also arrived (without the final -e) from Old French defens, from Latin defensum "thing protected or forbidden," neuter past participle of defendere.
Defens was assimilated into defense, but not before it inspired the alternative spelling defence, via the same tendency that produced hence (hennis), pence (penies), dunce (Duns). First used 1935 as a euphemism for "national military resources." Defense mechanism in psychology is from 1913.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
defense
(dĭ-fĕns′)- A means or method that helps protect the body or mind, as against disease or anxiety.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.