defense

• defence (British)

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

• Audio (US):

  (file)

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

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛns

From Middle English defens, defense, from Old French defens, defense, from Late Latin dēfēnsa (“protection”). Displaced native Old English bewering. The verb is from the noun.^[1]

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.

   to come to someone's defense

   1. (law, by extension) The case presented by the defendant in a legal proceeding.
   2. (law, by extension) The lawyer or team thereof who presents such a case.
4. (government, military, euphemistic) Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military.

   Department of Defense

5. (obsolete) A prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.

• See also Thesaurus:defense

• offense
• (law) prosecution

defense (third-person singular simple present defenses, present participle defensing, simple past and past participle defensed)

1. (sports, chiefly US)^[1] To employ defensive tactics (so as to block). [from 1932]^[1]
   • 1972, Robert Cimbollek, Basketball’s Percentage Offense, West Nyack, N.Y.: Parker Publishing Company, Inc., →ISBN, page 114:

     In fact, there is an increase in the effectiveness of the Five Cutter Offense when teams put pressure on, instead of sagging or switching in an attempt to defense the attack successfully.

   • 2013 November 16, Brett Marshall, “The Garden City Telegram, Kan., Brett Marshall column”, in McClatchy - Tribune Business News, Tribune Content Agency:

     But the Buffs’ coaching staff made some adjustments in the way they defensed the Heights’ vaunted veer-option offense, and after being bullied around for 271 yards in the first half, yielded only 140 in the second half.

   • 2014 November 28, Associated Press, “Vols beat Santa Clara, face Kansas”, in The Tennessean, page 2:

     “It was most important to start the second half right,” Tennessee coach Donnie Tyndall said. “They dug in and defensed the right way.”

From Middle English defencen, defensen, from Old French defenser^[2] or its etymon, Latin dēfēnsō.^[1]

defense (third-person singular simple present defenses, present participle defensing, simple past and past participle defensed)

1. (now rare)^[1] To furnish with defenses; to defend, protect.
   • 1544, Iames the Erle of Purlilia [i.e., Jacopo di Porcia], translated by Peter Betham, “What is to be done in yͤ syege of bygge cities”, in The Preceptes of Warre, […], London: […] Edwarde Whytchurche. […] to be solde […] by William Telotson:

     In the ſyege of greate cities, takyng a bygge compaſſe rounde abowte, we muſt wyth all laboure: make and intercut not farre of the citie, bꝛode and depe trenches defenſed wyth turrettes of woodde, […]

   • 1587, George Turberuile, “The Argument to the tenth Historie”, in Tragicall Tales […], London: […] Abell Ieffs, […], folio 130, verso:

     VVhere being plaſt, vnvviſt of any vvight, / He ſtayde his time, till husband fel on ſleepe, / Then out he gate, defenſt vvith darke of night, / And ſoftly to Salueſtras bed did creepe: […]

   • 1661, Percie Enderbie, Cambria Triumphans, or Brittain in Its Perfect Lustre, Shewing the Origen and Antiquity of That Illustrious Nation. […], London: […] Andrew Crooke, […], page 21:

     The Country of Britain was in old times adorned with 28 Cities, beſide innumerable number of Caſtles defenſed with ſtrong Walls, Towers, Gates and Locks.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /deːˈfen.se/, [d̪eːˈfẽːs̠ɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /deˈfen.se/, [d̪eˈfɛnse]

dēfēnse

1. vocative masculine singular of dēfēnsus

defense

1. inflection of defensar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

• IPA^(key): /deˈfense/ [d̪eˈfẽn.se]
• Rhymes: -ense
• Syllabification: de‧fen‧se

defense

1. inflection of defensar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative