on defense
idiom
sports
: on the part of a team that defends the goal
She began the season on defense, but her coach later put her on offense.
Examples of on defense in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An incoming coach or general manager would probably like the idea of a potentially quick turnaround with key pieces on defense to go along with an offense that should be trending upward.
—
Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Moehrig, who signed a three-year, $51 million deal in March, is used in several different ways on defense.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2025
Instead, Peterson backpedaled to get back on defense and directed his teammates to pay attention to the Green Bay ball handler.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2025
This is about the message sent, with nobody on defense seeming to care as much as those on the offense victimized by the failures.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
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Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Moehrig, who signed a three-year, $51 million deal in March, is used in several different ways on defense.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2025
Instead, Peterson backpedaled to get back on defense and directed his teammates to pay attention to the Green Bay ball handler.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2025
This is about the message sent, with nobody on defense seeming to care as much as those on the offense victimized by the failures.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on defense
Cite this Entry
“On defense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20defense. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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