defense
//dɪˈfɛns//
Forms
- Plural
- defenses
- present (v1)
- defense
- past (v2)
- defensed
- past participle (v3)
- defensed
- present participle
- defensing
- 3rd person singular
- defenses
Definitions
1.The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.
2.Anything employed to oppose attack(s).
3.An argument in support or justification of something.
4.Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military.
1.To employ defensive tactics (so as to block).
- “It was most important to start the second half right,” Tennessee coach Donnie Tyndall said. “They dug in and defensed the right way.”
- In fact, there is an increase in the effectiveness of the Five Cutter Offense when teams put pressure on, instead of sagging or switching in an attempt to defense the attack successfully.
- But the Buffs’ coaching staff made some adjustments in the way they defensed the Heights’ vaunted veer-option offense, and after being bullied around for 271 yards in the first half, yielded only 140 in the second half.
Frequency
Overall
Common· #760
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Uncommon
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Antonyms
Word family
Etymology
From Middle English defens, defense, from Old French defens, defense, from Late Latin dēfēnsa (“protection”).
Displaced native Old English bewering.
The verb is from the noun.