| noun | (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires |
| noun | (sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring “his teams are always good on defense” |
| noun | the defendant and his legal advisors collectively “the defense called for a mistrial” |
| noun | an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack “he joined the defense against invasion” |
| noun | the speech act of answering an attack on your assertions “his refutation of the charges was short and persuasive” |
| noun | the justification for some act or belief “he offered a persuasive defense of the theory” |
| noun | a structure used to defend against attack “the artillery battered down the defenses” |
| noun | a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him “he gave evidence for the defense” |
| noun | (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies “they died in the defense of Stalingrad” |
| noun | protection from harm “sanitation is the best defense against disease” |
| noun | the act of defending someone or something against attack or injury “a good boxer needs a good defense” |
| defend | verb | be on the defensive; act against an attack |
| refute | verb | overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof |
| vindicate | verb | maintain, uphold, or defend |
| deny | verb | deny formally (an allegation of fact by the opposing party) in a legal suit |