American English pronunciation
How to pronounce defenses
IPA transcription: [dɪ'fɛnsəz]
Pronunciation variants: [dɪ'fɛnsəz][dɪ'fɛnsɪz]
Hear “defenses” pronounced
[dɪ'fɛnsɪz]
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[dɪ'fɛnsəz]
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[dɪ'fɛnsɪz]
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Noun
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(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”
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protection from harm
“sanitation is the best defense against disease”
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the federal department responsible for safeguarding national security of the United States; created in 1947
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(sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring
“his teams are always good on defense”
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the justification for some act or belief
“he offered a persuasive defense of the theory”
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(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
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the defendant and his legal advisors collectively
“the defense called for a mistrial”
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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”
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an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack
“he joined the defense against invasion”
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a structure used to defend against attack
“the artillery battered down the defenses”
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a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him
“he gave evidence for the defense”
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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”
Usage examples
- This enabled the Red Army to conduct active defenses and prepare for large-scaled offensives.
- He disregarded the warning and took no action to reinforce the island's defenses.
- The Bronze Age population resided in settlements located at positions with natural defenses.
- Navigational techniques slowly improved, crews became better, as did German night defenses.
- He spent much of the war mapping shoreline defenses in the Pacific.
- During this period, she also steamed up the river gathering information about Southern defenses.
- In criminal law, duress and necessity are different defenses.
- He and Willett restored the fort and strengthened its defenses.
- Lanham identifies two defenses of the morality of rhetoric.
- Bonifaz broke the river defenses and isolated Seville from Triana.