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    Dendril Roots
      defense
      noun
      The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.
      Anything employed to oppose attack(s).
      (team sports) A strategy and tactics employed to prevent the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.
      (team sports) The portion of a team dedicated to preventing the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.
      An argument in support or justification of something.
      (law, by extension) The case presented by the defendant in a legal proceeding.
      (law, by extension) The lawyer or team thereof who presents such a case.
      (government, military, euphemistic) Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military.
      (obsolete) A prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.
      verb
      (sports, chiefly US) To employ defensive tactics (so as to block).
      (now rare) To furnish with defenses; to defend, protect.
      Roots
      defendofens- · Latin · ward off, defend
      Synonyms for defense
      demurrernrefutationnprotectionnguardndenialnsurrebutterncounterattacknsurrebuttalnarmornsurrejoindern
      Words related to defense
      defensiveadjdefendersndefensivelyadvdefendingadjvindicationnoutguarddefendsvdefensivenessndefendedvoffensenjustificatoryadjantisubmarineadjundefendedadjantimissileadjrearguardnprosecutionnfencibleadjbackfieldnlinebackersndefensibleadjantitankadjattorneyshipnprotectingadjarmamentsnattorneynlinemennrefortifyvdefensibilityndefenselessadjdefenselesslyadv

      Synonyms & related words for defense

      Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of defense — including demurrer, refutation, protection, guard, denial, surrebutter. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

      Words related to defense

      Explore words related to defense — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include defensive, defenders, defensively, defending, vindication, outguard, defends, defensiveness. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

      Synonyms for defense

      Common synonyms for defense include demurrer, refutation, protection, guard, denial, surrebutter, counterattack, surrebuttal — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

      Where does defense come from?

      The word defense breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root fens-, from Latin defendo (“ward off, defend”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.

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