noun · the federal department responsible for safeguarding national security of the United States; created in 1947Department of DefenseDefense DepartmentUnited States Department of DefenseDoD noun · (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies“they died in the defense of Stalingrad”
noun · protection from harm“sanitation is the best defense against disease”
noun · (sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring“his teams are always good on defense”
noun · the justification for some act or belief“he offered a persuasive defense of the theory”
noun · (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desiresdefense mechanismdefense reactiondefence mechanismdefence reactiondefence noun · the defendant and their legal advisors collectively“the defense called for a mistrial”
noun · the speech act of answering an attack on your assertions“his refutation of the charges was short and persuasive”
noun · an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack“he joined the defense against invasion”
noun · a structure used to defend against attack“the artillery battered down the defenses”
noun · a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against them“he gave evidence for the defense”
noun · the act of defending someone or something against attack or injury“a good boxer needs a good defense”