defence

American  

[dih-fens] / dɪˈfɛns /

noun

defenced, defencing

1. British. variant of defense.

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defence British  

/ dɪˈfɛns /

noun

1. resistance against danger, attack, or harm; protection

2. a person or thing that provides such resistance

3. a plea, essay, speech, etc, in support of something; vindication; justification

4. 1. a country's military measures or resources

   2. ( as modifier )

      defence spending

5. law a defendant's denial of the truth of the allegations or charge against him

6. law the defendant and his legal advisers collectively Compare prosecution

7. sport

   1. the action of protecting oneself, one's goal, or one's allotted part of the playing area against an opponent's attacks

   2. the method of doing this

   3. the players in a team whose function is to do this

8. American football (usually preceded by the)

   1. the team that does not have possession of the ball

   2. the members of a team that play in such circumstances

9. psychoanal See defence mechanism

10. (plural) fortifications

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Other Word Forms

• defenceable adjective
• defenceless adjective
• defencelessly adverb
• defencelessness noun
• predefence noun

Etymology

Origin of defence

C13: from Old French, from Late Latin dēfensum, past participle of dēfendere to _defend

Compare meaning

How does defence compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• offence vs. defence

Example Sentences

A UK-EU summit is expected this summer, after the two sides struck a deal last May on areas including fishing rights, trade, defence and energy.

From BBC

The two countries signed a roadmap on access to critical minerals and another on defence cooperation, while joint projects are being showcased during the visit, including initiatives to tackle space debris.

From Barron's

Such an operation would be extremely challenging and fraught with danger, according to military experts and former US defence officials who spoke to the BBC.

From BBC

AFP journalists also confirmed that air defences had been activated over the capital, including in the north.

From Barron's

A vote by a committee known as the "God Squad" - because of its ability to influence the future of certain species - followed a request by Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defence.

From BBC