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.
Buckingham Palace is "on the defensive", the i Paper reports.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Rushing will provide a left-handed bat off the bench until he’s graduated from his throwing program and built up on the defensive side.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
This season combines two books from Mick Herron’s best-selling series, “Joe Country” and “Slough House,” and finds Jackson Lamb & Co. on the defensive as someone’s killing off Slow Horses past and present.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Rattled by the technology, Hollywood initially went on the defensive.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“No—not sneaking—” Now Lily was on the defensive.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
