1
as in ammunition
means or method of defending
thorns are a rose's defense against grazing animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excuse
an explanation that frees one from fault or blame
there's absolutely no defense for your actions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defense
Her defense attorney, Douglas Molloy, didn’t immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment April 14.
—
Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Another important facet to Meta's defense is just how different the social media ecosystem is today, versus 2012 and 2014, when the company made those purchases.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 13 Apr. 2025
Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese defense ministry for comment by email.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
Continue reading … JUDGE ME NOT – Sheriff accused of gunning down magistrate in his chambers reveals his defense.
—Fox News, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defense
Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2025
Another important facet to Meta's defense is just how different the social media ecosystem is today, versus 2012 and 2014, when the company made those purchases.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 13 Apr. 2025
Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese defense ministry for comment by email.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
Continue reading … JUDGE ME NOT – Sheriff accused of gunning down magistrate in his chambers reveals his defense.
—Fox News, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defense
Noun
-
The terrorist designation would extend U.S. jurisdiction to anyone assisting the gangs, from gun and ammunition traffickers to government officials in Haiti financing the groups.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
-
So, to threaten to take away someone’s guns and ammunition was indeed a threat that white Virginians took very seriously.—
Ari Daniel,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Ignorance Ignorance is never an excuse for poor governance.—
Committee of 200,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The injury crisis became a convenient excuse for a team already playing quite badly.—
The View from the Lane,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
As a whole, the three decisions appear to form a growing patchwork of district-level protections to limit the use of the Alien Enemies Act in lieu of a nationwide order.—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The Trump administration can't immediately revoke the deportation protections and work permits of hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who entered the U.S. legally under a Biden-era program, a federal judge ruled Monday.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
What are the present political implications of trying to empathize with Germans under the Nazi regime, to better understand their own justifications for their crimes?—
Joseph Bernstein,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
-
This administration might use a domestic crisis as even more justification to bypass legislative and judicial oversight.—
Jane Harman,
Time,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Stay calm, keep your hands where officers can see them, and consider filming the interaction as unobtrusively as possible as a safeguard.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
9 Apr. 2025
-
However, the reality is that the institutional DeFi opportunity is already stimulating innovation and industry development towards the kind of safeguards that institutions would demand.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The reason for the independence, the Brookings Institution explains, is that politicians tend to want lower interest rates because lower rates stimulate the economy.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
-
The reason for the increase in the Tigers’ team score came after a review of Mizzou’s third rotation — balance beam.—
Henry Chappell,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The emergence of prompt shields and spotlight prompting has arisen due to the various hacking efforts trying to get generative AI to go beyond its filters and usual protections.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The loot included a Twilight poster signed by stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner; signed Darth Vader and Stormtrooper helmets; and several signed Captain America shields.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Its officials, though, have increasingly threatened to pursue a nuclear weapon.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Major negative factors include Iran’s greater nuclear weapon capabilities, its shorter time frames to build nuclear weapons, and the growing normalization of internal Iranian discussions favoring building nuclear weapons.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defense. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share