1
as in ammunition
means or method of defending
thorns are a rose's defense against grazing animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of defense
Starmer presented Trump with a significant gift ahead of his trip, announcing on Tuesday that Britain would hike its defense spending to 2.5% by 2027, and to 3% by the middle of the next decade.
—
Rob Picheta, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
Though Senate Republicans have pushed for two bills to address Mr. Trump's priorities, House Republicans are pursuing one major bill to address border security, defense and energy priorities, along with $4.5 trillion in tax cuts.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2025
How much would that improve the Bills’ current defense versus having a decent draft?
—Tim Graham, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
In realigning defense, development and diplomacy, Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth should fully integrate civilian stabilization efforts into the Department of Defense or a special unit of the State Department.
—Sean P. Brooks, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defense
Rob Picheta, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
Though Senate Republicans have pushed for two bills to address Mr. Trump's priorities, House Republicans are pursuing one major bill to address border security, defense and energy priorities, along with $4.5 trillion in tax cuts.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2025
How much would that improve the Bills’ current defense versus having a decent draft?
—Tim Graham, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
In realigning defense, development and diplomacy, Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth should fully integrate civilian stabilization efforts into the Department of Defense or a special unit of the State Department.
—Sean P. Brooks, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defense
Noun
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Last week, the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs donated armored police vehicles, along with weapons, ammunition and other gear.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
18 Feb. 2025
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During a traffic stop, authorities found a loaded 9mm Walther handgun and ammunition, the Justice Department said.—
Louis Casiano,
Fox News,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Ted Sarandos and the powerful in Hollywood might be tempted to use Emilia Pérez as a great excuse to back away from the trans community.—
Seven Graham,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Feb. 2025
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The officers used pandemic travel restrictions as an excuse for the delay.—
Joshua Yaffa,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Whether the deletion was intentional, like a former employee deleting the data on 180 servers, or unintentional, like an accidental deletion causing a major outage for a social network, relying on redundancy as your only protection isn’t enough.—
Nick Martin,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Drivers had been pushing for minimum wages and other protections since 2023, but Gov. Tim Walz vetoed the first version of a wage bill that passed that year.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Yet to those who didn’t live through the Dončić experience — the front office executives, coaches and scouts who would love nothing more than to get their hands on a player of his ilk — all these justifications for the trade simply don’t compute.—
Sam Amick,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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These are war crimes, and no amount of justification in the name of previous atrocities can change that reality.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The safeguards are important, the lawmakers said, because identity theft or bankruptcy can mean a loss of a security clearance or the end of a service member’s career.—
Melissa Chan,
NBC News,
20 Feb. 2025
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This optimism is encouraging but is tempered by a consensus that to deliver on its transformational potential, AI must be implemented in a responsible and thoughtful manner – 97.5% of executives believe that responsible AI safeguards and guardrails for governing AI must be in place.—
Randy Bean,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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For that reason, Richardson usually doesn't agree to sit down for other productions.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
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For some reason, filmmakers have long been of the opinion that hired assassins are just like us, worried about such things as getting older and job security.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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There is now a furore over 500 billion Euros in defense bonds, joint nuclear shields and defense equipment shopping lists.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
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Above Chernobyl: After a Russian drone strike blew a hole in the radiation shield looming 40 stories above the site, Ukraine is working to patch what covers the wreckage of the world’s worst nuclear accident.—
Kim Barker,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The military said its forces had apprehended 26 terrorism suspects over the weekend and confiscated three guns and other weapons.—
Isabel Kershner,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
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San Diego County Sheriff's Office records also indicate that there is an outstanding warrant for Love's arrest that was issued on Oct. 2, 2024, on a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defense. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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