self-defense

noun

self-de·​fense ˌself-di-ˈfen(t)s 

1

: a plea of justification for the use of force or for homicide

2

: the act of defending oneself, one's property, or a close relative

Examples of self-defense in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their defense attorneys argued that the young men – Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 at the time of the murders – killed their parents in self-defense, believing that their parents were going to kill them to stop them from speaking out about the abuse. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025

Pirro said a blanket ban on possessing shotguns and rifles violates the court's 2022 ruling that struck down a New York gun law and held that people have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense. —Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2025

The autopsy did not stipulate who is believed to have killed Hood, but seemed to corroborate authorities’ belief that he was killed in self-defense by one of two people in the home at the time. —Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2025

That shooting was later ruled to be a case of self-defense. —Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for self-defense

• antisense
• commonsense
• effulgence
• frankincense
• ninepence
• nondefense
• penitence
• recommence
• recompence
• recompense
• cense
• dense

Kids Definition

self-defense

noun

self-de·​fense

ˌself-di-ˈfen(t)s

: the act of defending oneself, one's property, or a close relative

Legal Definition

self-defense

noun

self-de·​fense

ˈself-di-ˈfens

1

: the use of force to defend oneself

2

: an affirmative defense (as to a murder charge) alleging that the defendant used force necessarily to protect himself or herself because of a reasonable belief that the other party intended to inflict great bodily harm or death see also justification sense 2