Result from Foreign Dictionaries (3 entries found)

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Defense \De*fense"\, Defence \De*fence"\, n. [F. d['e]fense, OF. defense, fem., defens, masc., fr. L. defensa (cf. LL. defensum), from defendere. See {Defend}, and cf. {Fence}.] 1. The act of defending, or the state of being defended; protection, as from violence or danger. [1913 Webster] In cases of defense 't is best to weigh The enemy more mighty than he seems. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. That which defends or protects; anything employed to oppose attack, ward off violence or danger, or maintain security; a guard; a protection. [1913 Webster] War would arise in defense of the right. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster] God, the widow's champion and defense. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 3. Protecting plea; vindication; justification. [1913 Webster] Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defense. --Acts xxii. 1. [1913 Webster] 4. (Law) The defendant's answer or plea; an opposing or denial of the truth or validity of the plaintiff's or prosecutor's case; the method of proceeding adopted by the defendant to protect himself against the plaintiff's action. [1913 Webster] 5. Act or skill in making defense; defensive plan or policy; practice in self defense, as in fencing, boxing, etc. [1913 Webster] A man of great defense. --Spenser. [1913 Webster] By how much defense is better than no skill. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 6. Prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Severe defenses . . . against wearing any linen under a certain breadth. --Sir W. Temple. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Defense \De*fense"\, v. t. To furnish with defenses; to fortify. [Obs.] [Written also {defence}.] [1913 Webster] Better manned and more strongly defensed. --Hales. [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: 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}]