defense

de·fense

D0090600 (dĭ-fĕns′)n.1. The act of defending against attack, danger, or injury.2. A means or method of defending or protecting.3. Sports The act or an instance of defending a championship against a challenger: will box in his third defense of his title.4. An argument in support or justification of something. See Synonyms at apology.5. Law a. The act of defending a case.b. A fact or law that provides a full or partial exoneration of the defendant against the charges or claims made in a lawsuit or prosecution.c. The defendant and his or her legal counsel.6. The science or art of defending oneself; self-defense.7. (often dē′fĕns′) Sports a. The means or tactics used in trying to stop the opposition from scoring.b. The team or those players on the team attempting to stop the opposition from scoring.c. Defending ability or potential.8. The military, governmental, and industrial complex, especially as it authorizes and manages weaponry production.tr.v. de·fensed, de·fens·ing, de·fens·es Sports 1. To attempt to stop (the opposition) from scoring.2. To play defense against (an opponent or play).

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin dēfēnsa, from feminine past participle of dēfendere, to ward off; see defend.]

de·fense′less adj.de·fense′less·ly adv.de·fense′less·ness n.

de•fense

(dɪˈfɛns or, esp. for 7,9, ˈdi fɛns)

n., v. -fensed, -fens•ing. n. 1. resistance against attack; protection. 2. something that defends, as a fortification or medication. 3. the defending of a cause or the like by speech, etc.: to speak in defense of a cause. 4. the arms production of a nation: spending billions on defense. 5. a speech, etc., in vindication. 6. a. the defendant's answer to the charge or claim made by the plaintiff. b. the strategy adopted by a defendant for defending against the plaintiff's charge. c. a defendant together with counsel. 7. defense mechanism. 8. a. the tactics of defending oneself or one's goal against attack. b. the team attempting to thwart the attack of the team having the ball or puck. c. the players of such a team or their positions. v.t. 9. to defend against (an opponent, play, etc.). [1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Late Latin dēfēnsa a forbidding, derivative of Latin dēfendere to defend] de•fense′less, adj. de•fense′less•ness, n.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	defense - (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies; "they died in the defense of Stalingrad"; "they were developed for the defense program"defensive measure, defenceumbrella - a formation of military planes maintained over ground operations or targets; "an air umbrella over England"military action, action - a military engagement; "he saw action in Korea"air defense - defensive measures designed to destroy attacking enemy aircraft or missiles or to nullify their effectivenessstand - a defensive effort; "the army made a final stand at the Rhone"hasty defence, hasty defense - a defense organized while in contact with the enemy or when time is limiteddeliberate defence, deliberate defense - a defense organized before contact is made with the enemy and while time for organization is available; usually includes a fortified zone (with pillboxes) and communication systemsbiodefence, biodefense, biological defence, biological defense - procedures involved in taking defensive measures against attacks using biological agentschemical defence, chemical defense - procedures involved in taking defensive measures against attacks using chemical agentsminelaying, mining - laying explosive mines in concealed places to destroy enemy personnel and equipmentbiological warfare defence, biological warfare defense, BW defence, BW defense - defense against biological warfarearmed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"
	2.	defense - protection from harm; "sanitation is the best defense against disease"defenceprotection - the activity of protecting someone or something; "the witnesses demanded police protection"
	3.	defense - (sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring; "his teams are always good on defense"defending team, defenceathletics, sport - an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competitionteam, squad - a cooperative unit (especially in sports)offence, offense - the team that has the ball (or puck) and is trying to score
	4.	defense - the justification for some act or belief; "he offered a persuasive defense of the theory"vindication, defencejustification - a statement in explanation of some action or beliefapologia, apology - a formal written defense of something you believe in stronglyalibi - (law) a defense by an accused person purporting to show that he or she could not have committed the crime in questionexculpation, excuse, self-justification, alibi - a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable"
	5.	defense - (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desiresdefence, defence mechanism, defence reaction, defense mechanism, defense reactionunconscious process, process - a mental process that you are not directly aware of; "the process of denial"psychiatry, psychological medicine, psychopathology - the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorderscompensation - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism that conceals your undesirable shortcomings by exaggerating desirable behaviorsconversion - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism represses emotional conflicts which are then converted into physical symptoms that have no organic basisdenial - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism that denies painful thoughtsdisplacement - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism that transfers affect or reaction from the original object to some more acceptable oneidealisation, idealization - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism that splits something you are ambivalent about into two representations--one good and one badintellectualisation, intellectualization - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism that uses reasoning to block out emotional stress and conflictisolation - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which memory of an unacceptable act or impulse is separated from the emotion originally associated with itprojection - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism by which your own traits and emotions are attributed to someone elsepsychoanalytic process - a process that is assumed to occur in psychoanalytic theoryrationalisation, rationalization - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism by which your true motivation is concealed by explaining your actions and feelings in a way that is not threateningreaction formation - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which a person unconsciously develops attitudes and behavior that are the opposite of unacceptable repressed desires and impulses and serve to conceal them; "his strict morality is just a reaction formation to hide his sexual drive"regression - (psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which you flee from reality by assuming a more infantile staterepression - (psychiatry) the classical defense mechanism that protects you from impulses or ideas that would cause anxiety by preventing them from becoming conscious
	6.	Defense - the federal department responsible for safeguarding national security of the United States; created in 1947Defense Department, Department of Defense, DoD, United States Department of Defenseexecutive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United StatesDARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - the central research and development organization for the United States Department of Defense; responsible for developing new surveillance technologies since 9/11Department of Defense Laboratory System, LABLINK - a defense laboratory that provides essential services in fundamental science for national security and environmental protection and provides technologies that contribute to industrial competitivenessUnited States Navy, US Navy, USN, Navy - the navy of the United States of America; the agency that maintains and trains and equips combat-ready naval forcesU. S. Air Force, United States Air Force, US Air Force, USAF, Air Force - the airforce of the United States of America; the agency that defends the United States through control and exploitation of air and spaceDefense Intelligence Agency, DIA - an intelligence agency of the United States in the Department of Defense; is responsible for providing intelligence in support of military planning and operations and weapons acquisitionDefense Logistics Agency - a logistics combat support agency in the Department of Defense; provides worldwide support for military missionsDefense Technical Information Center, DTIC - the agency in the Department of Defense that provides scientific and technical information to federal agencies and their contractorsNational Reconnaissance Office, NRO - an intelligence agency in the United States Department of Defense that designs and builds and operates space reconnaissance systems to detect trouble spots worldwide and to monitor arms control agreements and environmental issues and to help plan military operationsNational Security Agency, NSA - the United States cryptologic organization that coordinates and directs highly specialized activities to protect United States information systems and to produce foreign intelligence informationU. S. Army, United States Army, US Army, USA, Army - the army of the United States of America; the agency that organizes and trains soldiers for land warfareBallistic Missile Defense Organization, BMDO - an agency in the Department of Defense that is responsible for making ballistic missile defense a realityDefense Information Systems Agency, DISA - a combat support agency in the Department of Defense responsible for developing and operating and supporting information systems to serve the needs of the President and the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of StaffNational Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, NGA - a combat support agency that provides geographic intelligence in support of national securityCasualty Care Research Center, CCRC - an agency in the Department of Defense that is a national center for research on all aspects of injury control and casualty care
	7.	defense - the defendant and his legal advisors collectively; "the defense called for a mistrial"defense lawyers, defense team, defenceaggregation, collection, accumulation, assemblage - several things grouped together or considered as a wholeprosecution - the lawyers acting for the state to put the case against the defendant
	8.	defense - 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"refutation, defenceanswer - the speech act of replying to a questionconfutation - the speech act of refuting conclusivelyrebuttal - the speech act of refuting by offering a contrary contention or argument
	9.	defense - an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack; "he joined the defense against invasion"defence force, defense force, defenceorganization, organisation - a group of people who work togetherbastion - a group that defends a principle; "a bastion against corruption"; "the last bastion of communism"
	10.	defense - a structure used to defend against attack; "the artillery battered down the defenses"defensive structure, defencecheval-de-frise, chevaux-de-frise - defensive structure consisting of a movable obstacle composed of barbed wire or spikes attached to a wooden frame; used to obstruct cavalryfortification, munition - defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen itfortress, fort - a fortified defensive structureline of defence, line of defense - defensive structure consisting of a barrier that can be employed for defense against attackoutwork - subsidiary defensive structure lying outside the main fortified area; "the outworks of the castle"stronghold, fastness - a strongly fortified defensive structurestructure, construction - a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons"
	11.	defense - a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him; "he gave evidence for the defense"demurrer, denial, defencedue process, due process of law - (law) the administration of justice according to established rules and principles; based on the principle that a person cannot be deprived of life or liberty or property without appropriate legal procedures and safeguardstrial - (law) the determination of a person's innocence or guilt by due process of law; "he had a fair trial and the jury found him guilty"; "most of these complaints are settled before they go to trial"entrapment - a defense that claims the defendant would not have broken the law if not tricked into doing it by law enforcement officialslaw, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"criminal prosecution, prosecution - the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior
	12.	defense - the act of defending someone or something against attack or injury; "a good boxer needs a good defense"; "defense against hurricanes is an urgent problem"defenceprotection - the activity of protecting someone or something; "the witnesses demanded police protection"

defense

noun1. The act or a means of defending:guard, preservation, protection, protector, safeguard, security, shield, ward.2. A statement that justifies or defends something, such as a past action or policy:apologetic, apologia, apology, justification, vindication.

Translations

防守

defence

(diˈfens) (American) defense noun1. the act or action of defending against attack. the defence of Rome; He spoke in defence of the plans.防卫2. the method or equipment used to guard or protect. The walls will act as a defence against flooding. 防卫方法，防御物 3. a person's answer to an accusation especially in a law-court. What is your defence? （律）辩护 deˈfenceless adjective helpless or without protection. 无防御的，无助的 the defence the case on behalf of a person who is accused in a law court. the counsel for the defence. 被告方，辩方

defense

→ 防守zhCN

Defense

defence

(US), defense1. Law a defendant's denial of the truth of the allegations or charge against him 2. Law the defendant and his legal advisers collectively 3. American footballa. the team that does not have possession of the ball b. the members of a team that play in such circumstances 4. Psychoanal See defence mechanism

Defense

(judicial), the procedural actions directed toward disproving the accusation against the accused (prisoner) or mitigating his responsibility. The judicial defense includes the actions of the accused, of defense counsel, of the persons conducting the inquiry, of the investigator, and of the procurator and court, aimed at obtaining a full, comprehensive examination of the account of the accused’s innocence or of the presence of mitigating circumstances, as well as the explanation to the accused of his rights.

In the USSR the right of the accused to judicial defense is guaranteed by the Constitution of the USSR (art. III) and regulated by the code of criminal process. The investigator, the procurator, and the court are obliged to ensure the accused of the possibility of defending himself, by all means and methods established by law, against the accusation brought against him, as well as to ensure him of the protection of his personal and property rights. The accused has the right to know of what he is accused and give explanations concerning the accusation brought against him, to present evidence, to submit petitions and present challenges, to be-come aquainted with all materials of the case after the completion of the investigation, and to bring complaints against the actions and decisions of the persons conducting the inquiry, the investigator and the procurator. Within three days of the examination the accused is entitled to receive a copy of the indictment and a copy of the court ruling or of the judge’s decree concerning the indictment. The accused has the right to submit evidence, to participate in the examination of all evidence, to speak in his defense (if there is no defense counsel), to have the last word, and to appeal the verdict.

The accused may retain defense counsel from the moment that the preliminary investigation has been completed; at the decision of the procurator, defense counsel may participate in the case from the moment the accusation is presented (Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Aug. 31, 1970). In cases of minors, of the mute, deaf, or blind, or of other persons who, because of physical or mental defects, are unable to exercise their right of defense, the participation of defense counsel is obligatory. He enters the proceedings from the moment the accusation is presented. The participation of defense counsel is also obligatory in cases in which a state or public prosecutor participates, in cases of persons who do not speak the language in which the judicial procedure is conducted, and in cases of persons whose interests are in conflict, even if one of them has defense counsel. Defense counsel is also obligatory in cases involving persons accused of committing a crime for which the death penalty may be inflicted; in this instance defense counsel must participate in the case from the moment when the accused was informed of the completion of the preliminary investigation and when all the material of the case was presented to him for examination. If in any of these instances the defense counsel was not invited by the accused himself (by his lawful representative or, on their request, by another person), the investigator and the court are obliged to ensure the participation of defense counsel in the case. Violation of the accused’s right to defense is an unconditional ground for annulling the judgment.

The accused’s right to defense is also guaranteed in the legislation of other socialist countries. In the German Democratic Republic, for example, the accused has procedural rights that allow him to actively defend himself against an accusation. Defense counsel has access to the proceedings from the moment the accusation is presented; the participation of defense counsel is obligatory in all cases of intentional crimes for which deprivation of freedom for a period of two years or more is prescribed, as well as in all cases of serious acts of negligence for which deprivation of freedom for a period of five years or more is prescribed.

In Hungary, the accused may at all stages of a proceeding submit petitions, become acquainted with the material of the case (after the completion of the preliminary investigation), participate in the judicial examination, appeal the decision of the investigating agencies and the court, and retain defense counsel. The participation of defense counsel is obligatory in cases of persons who are mentally ill or judged to be feeble-minded (from the stage of the preliminary investigation) and in cases of crimes for which the law prescribes a penalty of deprivation of freedom for a period of over five years or if the accused is held in custody. Defense counsel is also obligatory in cases of deaf or mute persons or of persons suffering from mental disabilities, in cases of accused who do not know the Hungarian language, and in cases of acts in which a decision may be rendered involving compulsory medical treatment, as well as in instances when the accusation is supported by the procurator.

In Bulgaria, defense counsel participates in the case not only from the moment of completion of the preliminary investigation but also of the inquiry. Instances of the obligatory participation of defense counsel in the judicial examination are provided for.

The legislation of bourgeois countries formally proclaims the accused’s right to defense, but in fact this right remains a privilege of the propertied classes, primarily because of the extremely high cost of legal assistance. In Great Britain, for example, where a system of precedents is in force, the judicial procedure is extremely complex, and, therefore, the participation in a case of a lawyer is particularly essential; the defendant must pay for the services of two lawyers a solicitor and a barrister. The laws that provide for free legal assistance apply only to cases involving some of the gravest crimes. In all other instances the question of assigning free defense counsel is decided at the discretion of the justices of the peace or of the Council of the Legal Society designated by the lord chancellor and by the General Council of the Legal Profession. The council may refuse to assign a free lawyer for many reasons, such as if in its opinion the accused does not have “reasonable grounds to defend his interests in court.”

In the USA, the law on justice in criminal cases of Aug. 20, 1964 provided for the appointment of free defense counsel, but many qualifications substantially limit the availability of free defense. In particular, this law extends only to federal courts, in which only a small range of cases are considered; the question of whether the accused is indigent is decided without supervision at the discretion of a federal judge. In France, the law of Jan. 15, 1963, introduced a number of limitations on the participation of defense counsel in the preliminary investigation: the court obtained the right to bar a lawyer from participating in a case if it considers that his speeches have political overtones. Judicial defense is also made difficult by the fact that defense counsel may be present only during the interrogation of the accused and at confrontations in which the accused participates.

T. N. DOBROVOL’SKAIA

Defense

a type of combat undertaken to thwart or repulse an enemy attack, to defeat the enemy, to retain captured positions, and to create favorable conditions for the transition to an offensive. Troops usually pass to the defensive when the situation is unfavorable, when time has to be gained in order to concentrate forces and assume the offensive or to economize forces along certain axes and create a superiority over the enemy on other axes, to repulse enemy counterattacks and counterstrikes in an offensive, to secure the flanks of advancing troops, or to consolidate captured lines. The defense is organized either ahead of time or is taken up when the troops are forced to pass to the defensive by the enemy. Depending on the missions to be performed and the forces and combat means involved, the defense may be of strategic, operational, or tactical importance.

In antiquity and in the Middle Ages fortified cities, fortresses, and castles were used for defense. The equipment of armies with firearms in the 14th and 15th centuries led to the construction of defensive field fortifications, mostly of earth, which were used for firing at the enemy and as shelters from cannonballs and bullets. The appearance in the mid-19th century of rifled weapons with a high maximum rate and range of fire made it necessary to refine the methods of defense. The combat formations of troops were echeloned in depth to strengthen the defense. During the defense of Sevastopol’ in 1854–55, the Russians created for the first time a fortified zone 1,000–1,500 m deep and built protected positions for the artillery. At the same time rifled weapons made it possible to strike at the advancing enemy from greater distances. During the defense of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05, the Russian troops used a system of fire and connecting trenches, as well as deeper defense positions (up to 2–3 km) and rear defense lines. The appearance of machine guns, magazine rifles, and rapid-fire cannon greatly increased defensive firepower and led to the creation of a fire system that could repulse concentrated attacks by enemy infantry and cavalry. On the whole the defense still consisted mainly of strong points with intervals between them; objects of the terrain were adapted for defensive purposes.

At the beginning of World War I (1914–18) the armies of all the belligerent countries began digging ditches in the intervals between the strong points, thus creating uninterrupted trench lines. The troops were deployed on several defensive positions echeloned in depth 3–4 km from each other. Rear (reserve) defense zones were set up behind the positions and beyond the reach of enemy artillery fire. This resulted in a new type of defense along a continuous front, with a system of man-made constructions and obstacles; the defense acquired an operational depth. The experience gained in the war pointed to the need to build a defense for warfare against tanks, artillery, aviation, and chemical weapons.

In the 1930’s the theory of defense was greatly developed in the Red Army. In view of the increased striking power of advancing troops, it was considered important that the defense be deep, with many zones and with antiartillery, antitank, and antiaircraft capability. By the beginning of World War II (1939–45) and during the war, the massive use of long-range artillery, tanks, and aviation led to the construction of an even deeper defense. For instance, the zone of defense of a Red Army corps was up to 15 km deep and consisted of two defense zones, each 4–6 km deep. Each defense zone consisted of two or three trenches. The defense system was comprehensively developed by the Soviet armed forces in the Great Patriotic War (1941–45), especially in the battle of Moscow of 1941–42, the battle of Leningrad of 1941–44, the battle of Kursk of 1943, and the Balaton defensive operation of 1945.

In present-day conditions, the defense must be very strong to resist nuclear weapons, artillery, tanks, and aircraft. The defense is based on the skillful utilization of favorable conditions of the terrain, the organization of the ground by engineer work, the use of obstacles, and the dispersed disposition of the troops along the front and in depth. The strength of the defense consists of strikes with all types of weapons, large-scale maneuvering of fire, and counterattacks and counterstrikes. The major conditions for the success of the defense are the high morale and combat qualities of the troops, the stamina of the troops, and the constant coordination and continuous control of the troops.

P. K. ALTUKHOV

defense

de·fense

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Nuremberg defense

attack is the best form of defense

the best defense is a good offense

the noble art (of self-defense)

spring to (one's) defense

leap to (one's) defense

best defense is a good offense

spring to someone's defense

last-ditch defense/effort

Defense

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Patient discussion about defense

Defense

Defense

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defense

Synonyms for defense

noun the act or a means of defending

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noun a statement that justifies or defends something, such as a past action or policy

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Synonyms for defense

noun (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies

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noun protection from harm

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noun (sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring

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noun the justification for some act or belief

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noun (psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires

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noun the federal department responsible for safeguarding national security of the United States

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noun the defendant and his legal advisors collectively

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noun the speech act of answering an attack on your assertions

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noun an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack

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noun a structure used to defend against attack

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noun a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him

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noun the act of defending someone or something against attack or injury

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