defense

• defence (British)

From French défense, itself from Late Latin dēfensa (“protection”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɛns/
• (US) IPA^(key): /dɪˈfɛns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (sports): (US, often) IPA^(key): /ˈdiːˌfɛns/
• Rhymes: -ɛns

defense (countable and uncountable, plural defenses) (American spelling)

1. The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.
2. Anything employed to oppose attack(s).
   1. (team sports) A strategy and tactics employed to prevent the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.
   2. (team sports) The portion of a team dedicated to preventing the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.
3. An argument in support or justification of something.
4. (government, military) Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military.

   Department of Defense

5. (obsolete) A prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.
   • Sir W. Temple

     Severe defenses […] against wearing any linen under a certain breadth.

• See also Thesaurus:defense

• offense

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /deːˈfen.se/, [deːˈfẽː.sɛ]

dēfēnse

1. vocative masculine singular of dēfēnsus

• IPA^(key): /deˈfen.se/

defense

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of defensar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of defensar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of defensar.
4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of defensar.