Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - defence

(defences) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. Note: The spelling 'defense' is used in American English, and in meaning 8 is pronounced 1. Defence is action that is taken to protect someone or something against attack. The land was flat, giving no scope for defence... By wielding a knife in defence you run the risk of having it used against you. N-UNCOUNT 2. Defence is the organization of a country’s armies and weapons, and their use to protect the country or its interests. Twenty eight percent of the federal budget is spent on defense. ...the French defence minister. N-UNCOUNT: oft N n 3. The defences of a country or region are all its armed forces and weapons. ...the need to maintain Britain’s defences at a sufficiently high level. N-PLURAL 4. A defence is something that people or animals can use or do to protect themselves. The immune system is our main defence against disease... = protection N-COUNT: oft N against n 5. A defence is something that you say or write which supports ideas or actions that have been criticized or questioned. Chomsky’s defence of his approach goes further... = justification N-COUNT: oft N of n, also in N 6. In a court of law, an accused person’s defence is the process of presenting evidence in their favour. He has insisted on conducting his own defence. N-COUNT: oft with poss 7. The defence is the case that is presented by a lawyer in a trial for the person who has been accused of a crime. You can also refer to this person’s lawyers as the defence. The defence was that the records of the interviews were fabricated by the police... N-SING: usu the N 8. In games such as football or hockey, the defence is the group of players in a team who try to stop the opposing players scoring a goal or a point. Their defence, so strong last season, has now conceded 12 goals in six games... I still prefer to play in defence. ? attack N-SING-COLL: oft poss N, also in N 9. If you come to someone’s defence, you help them by doing or saying something to protect them. He realized none of his schoolmates would come to his defense... PHRASE: PHR after v