defence

[dih-fens]

noun

defenced, defencing 

1. British.,  variant of defense.

defence

/ dɪˈfɛns /

noun

1. resistance against danger, attack, or harm; protection

2. a person or thing that provides such resistance

3. a plea, essay, speech, etc, in support of something; vindication; justification

4. 1. a country's military measures or resources

   2. ( as modifier )

      defence spending

5. law a defendant's denial of the truth of the allegations or charge against him

6. law the defendant and his legal advisers collectively Compare prosecution

7. sport

   1. the action of protecting oneself, one's goal, or one's allotted part of the playing area against an opponent's attacks

   2. the method of doing this

   3. the players in a team whose function is to do this

8. American football (usually preceded by the)

   1. the team that does not have possession of the ball

   2. the members of a team that play in such circumstances

9. psychoanal See defence mechanism

10. (plural) fortifications

Other Word Forms

• defenceable adjective
• defenceless adjective
• defencelessly adverb
• defencelessness noun
• predefence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of defence¹

C13: from Old French, from Late Latin dēfensum, past participle of dēfendere to _defend

Example Sentences

Ireland made a blistering start to the second half and Aoife Dalton's break helped them pile pressure on the New Zealand line, but the Black Ferns' defence held firm.

From BBC

Sorensen switched things up at half-time, introducing club record signing Ruby Mace in midfield and added experience in defence.

From BBC

A year ago, Verstappen called his car "a monster" as Red Bull's performance slumped while he tried to fight a rearguard title defence.

From BBC

The defence secretary has said the government is looking at moving asylum seekers onto military sites as an alternative to hotels.

From BBC

In a statement, the Russian defence ministry said its air defence forces shot down or intercepted 69 Ukrainian drones in a number of Russian regions.

From BBC