From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
defense
n 1: (military) military action or resources protecting a
country against potential enemies; "they died in the
defense of Stalingrad"; "they were developed for the
defense program" [syn: defense, defence, {defensive
measure}]
2: protection from harm; "sanitation is the best defense against
disease" [syn: defense, defence]
3: (sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team
from scoring; "his teams are always good on defense" [syn:
defense, defence, defending team] [ant: offence,
offense]
4: the justification for some act or belief; "he offered a
persuasive defense of the theory" [syn: defense, defence,
vindication]
5: (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the
anxiety associated with instinctive desires [syn: {defense
mechanism}, defense reaction, defence mechanism, {defence
reaction}, defense, defence]
6: the federal department responsible for safeguarding national
security of the United States; created in 1947 [syn:
Department of Defense, Defense Department, {United States
Department of Defense}, Defense, DoD]
7: the defendant and his legal advisors collectively; "the
defense called for a mistrial" [syn: defense, defence,
defense team, defense lawyers] [ant: prosecution]
8: the speech act of answering an attack on your assertions;
"his refutation of the charges was short and persuasive"; "in
defense he said the other man started it" [syn: refutation,
defense, defence]
9: an organization of defenders that provides resistance against
attack; "he joined the defense against invasion" [syn:
defense, defence, defense force, defence force]
10: a structure used to defend against attack; "the artillery
battered down the defenses" [syn: defensive structure,
defense, defence]
11: a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the
charges against him; "he gave evidence for the defense"
[syn: defense, defence, denial, demurrer] [ant:
criminal prosecution, prosecution]
12: the act of defending someone or something against attack or
injury; "a good boxer needs a good defense"; "defense
against hurricanes is an urgent problem" [syn: defense,
defence]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Defense \De*fense"\, Defence \De*fence"\, n. [F. d['e]fense, OF.
defense, fem., defens, masc., fr. L. defensa (cf. LL.
defensum), from defendere. See Defend, and cf. Fence.]
1. The act of defending, or the state of being defended;
protection, as from violence or danger.
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In cases of defense 't is best to weigh
The enemy more mighty than he seems. --Shak.
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2. That which defends or protects; anything employed to
oppose attack, ward off violence or danger, or maintain
security; a guard; a protection.
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War would arise in defense of the right. --Tennyson.
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God, the widow's champion and defense. --Shak.
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3. Protecting plea; vindication; justification.
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Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defense.
--Acts xxii.
1.
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4. (Law) The defendant's answer or plea; an opposing or
denial of the truth or validity of the plaintiff's or
prosecutor's case; the method of proceeding adopted by the
defendant to protect himself against the plaintiff's
action.
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5. Act or skill in making defense; defensive plan or policy;
practice in self defense, as in fencing, boxing, etc.
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A man of great defense. --Spenser.
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By how much defense is better than no skill. --Shak.
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6. Prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance. [Obs.]
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Severe defenses . . . against wearing any linen
under a certain breadth. --Sir W.
Temple.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Defense \De*fense"\, v. t.
To furnish with defenses; to fortify. [Obs.] [Written also
defence.]
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Better manned and more strongly defensed. --Hales.
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