defence

[ dih-fens ]

noun, verb (used with object),de·fenced, de·fenc·ing.
  1. British. variant of defense.

Other words from defence

  • de·fence·a·ble, adjective
  • de·fence·less, adjective
  • de·fence·less·ly, adverb
  • de·fence·less·ness, noun
  • pre·de·fence, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use defence in a sentence

  • The company was henceforth surrendered defencelessly to the machinations of Seor Pavo.

    The Indian Chief | Gustave Aimard
  • And there was one who, delicately and unmistakably and defencelessly, showed me that I was not indifferent to her.

  • Leon, my sister is perhaps at this time abandoned defencelessly to the insults of her cowardly ravisher.

    The Smuggler Chief | Gustave Aimard
  • He received them defencelessly right over his bare head, with both his hands engaged in holding.

    Typhoon | Joseph Conrad
  • Yet a nature that opened itself so trustingly, so defencelessly, must have suffered on finding its bounty abused.

British Dictionary definitions for defence

defence

US defense

/ (dɪˈfɛns) /


noun
  1. resistance against danger, attack, or harm; protection

  2. a person or thing that provides such resistance

  1. a plea, essay, speech, etc, in support of something; vindication; justification

    • a country's military measures or resources

    • (as modifier): defence spending

  2. law a defendant's denial of the truth of the allegations or charge against him

  3. law the defendant and his legal advisers collectively: Compare prosecution

  4. sport

    • the action of protecting oneself, one's goal, or one's allotted part of the playing area against an opponent's attacks

    • the method of doing this

    • the defence the players in a team whose function is to do this

  5. American football (usually preceded by the)

    • the team that does not have possession of the ball

    • the members of a team that play in such circumstances

  6. psychoanal See defence mechanism

  7. (plural) fortifications

Origin of defence

1
C13: from Old French, from Late Latin dēfensum, past participle of dēfendere to defend

Derived forms of defence

  • defenceless or US defenseless, adjective
  • defencelessly or US defenselessly, adverb
  • defencelessness or US defenselessness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012