Defense - Definition
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]