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Synonyms

on the defensive

Idioms  

  1. Prepared for withstanding aggression or attack, as in The debate team's plan was to keep their opponents on the defensive, or This teacher put students on the defensive about their mistakes. [c. 1600]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It wasn’t going to be easy against a Knicks team that’s one of the NBA’s best on the defensive end.

From Los Angeles Times

Third, if you do confront the team, you need conflict-management skills: How will you approach the problem without putting people on the defensive?

From The Wall Street Journal

However, with major patents set to expire in 2028, Merck must be on the defensive.

From Barron's

PayPal, the fintech payments platform, has been on the defensive, down 45% from its most recent 52-week high, even after a 6% pop Monday on takeover speculation.

From Barron's

A scandal at the Winter Olympics has left the Canadian curling teams on the defensive and Canadians reeling over the crack in their country's polite persona.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.