English Lexicon

Defence

/dɪˈfɛns/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #850 frequency
Full Thesaurus

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    The action of defending from or resisting attack, danger, or injury.

    "The country built up its military defence in response to rising regional tensions."
  2. 2

    The case presented by or on behalf of the party being accused or sued in a lawsuit.

    "The defendant's defence relied heavily on establishing a credible alibi."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Old French word 'defense', originating from the Latin 'defensum', meaning 'a thing defended' or 'protection'. It entered the English language in the Middle English period via Anglo-Norman legal and military terminology, establishing itself as the standard British spelling while the variant 'defense' became predominant in American English.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Defence"?

Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Defence"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Defence" Synonym Map