Crossword Dictionary

[n] protection from harm; "sanitation is the best defense against disease"
[n] military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies; "they died in the defense of Stalingrad"; "they were developed for the defense program"
[n] a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him; "he gave evidence for the defense"
[n] a structure used for defense; "the artillery battered down the defenses"
[n] the justification for some act or belief; "he offered a persuasive defense of the theory"
[n] the speech act of answering an attack on your assertions; "his refutation of the charges was short and persuasive"; "in defense he said the other man started it"
[n] an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack; "he joined the defense against invasion"
[n] the defendant and his legal advisors collectively; "the defense called for a mistrial"
[n] the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring; "his teams are always good on defense"
[n] (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires