self-defense
- the act of defending one's person when physically attacked, as by countering blows or overcoming an assailant: the art of self-defense.
- a claim or plea that the use of force or injuring or killing another was necessary in defending one's own person from physical attack: He shot the man who was trying to stab him and pleaded self-defense at the murder trial.
- an act or instance of defending or protecting one's own interests, property, ideas, etc., as by argument or strategy.
Origin of self-defense
Related Words for self-defense
shelter, preservation, stability, conservation, safety, security, safeguard, insurance, shield, armament, guard, defense, aegis, surety, tutelage, custody, safekeeping, armor, fix, camouflageExamples from the Web for self-defense
Contemporary Examples of self-defense
I went into the audition as Fericito, the Venezuelan percussionist, and then I did a self-defense expert.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s GreatnessMarlow Stern
January 7, 2015
The fliers, Ancona explained, are meant to educate people on what rights they legally have to use lethal force in self-defense.
The Klan’s Call to Violence in Ferguson Blows the Lid Off Its Hypocritical RebrandCaitlin Dickson
November 14, 2014
Exceptions are granted for self-defense, or when the U.N. Security Council specifically authorizes it.
The modern air forces built by autocratic Arab monarchies are designed primarily for self-defense, not attack.
She said she believes Wilson acted in self-defense, but if she were convinced otherwise, she would close down her support group.
Historical Examples of self-defense
And, in self-defense, he was forced into a survey of his own riding-breeches.
The Night RidersRidgwell Cullum
Jake had a gun, and Mink is able to prove that he shot in self-defense.
They of the High TrailsHamlin Garland
As for Farley—you of course had to shoot him, in self-defense.
Bloom of CactusRobert Ames Bennet
From a struggle for self-defense this has become a war of conquest.
We did not wish to shoot them, but they forced us to do so in self-defense.
Frank Merriwell's BraveryBurt L. Standish