defense
defense
(dĭ-fĕnsʹ) noun
Abbr. def.
1.
The act of defending against attack, danger, or injury.
2.
A means or method of defending or protecting.
3.
An argument in support or justification of something. See synonyms at apology.
4.
Law. a. The action of the defendant in opposition to complaints against him or her. b. The defendant and his or her legal counsel.
5. The science or art of defending oneself; self-defense.
6. Sports. The team or those players on the team attempting to stop the opposition from scoring.
7. The military, governmental, and industrial complex, especially as it authorizes and manages weaponry production.
verb
, transitive
defensed
, defensing, defenses
Sports
.
To attempt to stop (the opposition) from scoring.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin dēfēnsa from feminine past participle of dēfendere, to ward off. See
defend.]
defense
ʹless adjective
defense
ʹlessly adverb
defense
ʹlessness noun