on the defensive
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rattled by the technology, Hollywood initially went on the defensive.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Manufacturers are suddenly on the defensive, not just in China and elsewhere, but also at home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
He added that investors were right to go on the defensive.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
In a combative setting, Vance can dismantle an argument, redirect a question and put his interlocutor on the defensive.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
The pictures and writeups sometimes put us on the defensive in school and among our friends.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
