self-defense

American  

[self-di-fens, self-] / ˈsɛlf dɪˈfɛns, ˌsɛlf- /

British, self-defence

noun

1. the act of defending one's person when physically attacked, as by countering blows or overcoming an assailant.

   the art of self-defense.

2. 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.

3. an act or instance of defending or protecting one's own interests, property, ideas, etc., as by argument or strategy.

---

Other Word Forms

• self-defensive adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-defense

First recorded in 1645–55

Example Sentences

But self-defense is far from being embraced as a collective civic duty in Taiwan.

From The Wall Street Journal

Noah Neiman, co-founder of the Rumble boxing chain, recently opened in the neighborhood the Pack, a self-defense and group-fitness studio that he believes will tap in to Americans’ heightened health consciousness and socialization post pandemic.

From The Wall Street Journal

Byers said he kept the gun for self-defense and only fired it on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July in celebration.

From Los Angeles Times

This is the sine qua non of self-defense.

From The Wall Street Journal

Under South Carolina law, as in several other states, killers are granted civil and criminal immunity if a judge rules they acted in self-defense.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• conservation
• insurance
• preservation
• safeguard
• safety
• security
• shelter
• stability