How to Use defensive in a Sentence

defensive

1 of 2 adjective

• The coach has a strong defensive strategy.
• When we asked her about the mistakes, she became defensive.
• The city began building a defensive wall around its borders.
• I was surprised by his defensive reaction to my suggestion.
• There's no need to get so defensive. I was only making a suggestion.
• The government decided to join a defensive alliance with several other nations.
• That defensive side of the ball goes up.
  — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
• Not all of this work is defensive.
  — Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
• Play six defensive backs, and match speed with speed.
  — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
• The junior more than made up for it at the defensive end.
  — Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
• Vying for a defensive line spot will be a tall task.
  — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
• Do his defensive skills make up for his poor shooting?
  — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
• Coach Prime knows what his son brings to the defensive side of the ball.
  — Scott Thompson, Fox News, 26 Sep. 2023
• Beane added a few defensive backs in free agency.
  — Tim Graham, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
• At the back, there’s still too much space behind the defensive line.
  — Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
• So, here is the 49ers’ plight in terms of defensive ends.
  — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026
• The team had a better chance to win that game with a defensive upgrade.
  — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
• Focus on the defensive end, giving us a chance to win all these games.
  — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
• There is a lot of talk about the secondary, but there is a new look to the defensive line, too.
  — Kansas City Star, 11 July 2026
• Swayman stopped the puck but had to freeze it for a defensive-zone faceoff.
  — Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
• The long-time defensive coach looked at his staff and decided to clean house.
  — Mike Jones, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
• The defensive line was a big part of that success with 36 sacks.
  — Dylan Heinrich, Kansas City Star, 14 Mar. 2026
• And this time there were a few defensive mistakes sprinkled in, as well.
  — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026
• Mental lapses on the defensive end led to both goals.
  — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
• Ray rejoining the defensive line group would spread out the depth.
  — Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2025
• Williams led the league in steals and came in third in defensive player of the year voting.
  — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
• Recognize that this is time to ride the leaguewide defensive wave of the past two or three years.
  — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
• Another need comes on the defensive side of the ball.
  — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
• On the defensive side of the football, there are more questions.
  — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
• Reaves had 29 points and six rebounds and made a big defensive play late in the game.
  — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026

defensive

2 of 2 noun

• So far, Gulf states have been on the defensive.
  — Tareq Alotaiba, semafor.com, 2 Mar. 2026
• For the first time in years, the forces of terror are on the defensive.
  — Benjamin Sharoni, Boston Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
• When put on the defensive, just about any bear is tenacious—but so are tigers.
  — Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 21 Feb. 2024
• Change starts by putting the Houthis in their place — and Iran on the defensive.
  — Matthew Continetti, National Review, 12 Jan. 2024
• And this seems to be a time when many people are constantly on the defensive.
  — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
• Johnson is now on the defensive against Martin here in the first half.
  — Jacob Linden, Redbook, 5 Apr. 2023
• The center-left in Israel has spent the past two decades on the defensive.
  — Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 30 July 2023
• Even with this loss, Bluebell has put Richemont on the defensive.
  — Carol Ryan, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022
• Trump's speech comes at the start of a crucial election year, and his party is on the defensive.
  — Elena Moore, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
• And the child, who isn't put on the defensive, is genuinely sorry.
  — Amy Joyce, Washington Post, 28 June 2023
• The second-year defensive back stood up after the play, but fell straight back seconds later.
  — Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 4 Jan. 2023
• But that didn't stop consumers from viewing its prices as too high, which put the company on the defensive.
  — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 28 Dec. 2025
• Her male friends would ask her super specific sports questions, putting her on the defensive.
  — Matthew Vantryon, The Indianapolis Star, 29 June 2022
• Valenzuela, an all-league defensive back a year ago, will be targeted more on offense.
  — Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
• But Messerschmidt now finds himself on the defensive.
  — Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
• The trash-talking defensive back has already become a presence around the team.
  — Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 11 June 2026
• The true freshman defensive back paces the Orange’s secondary with eight pass breakups.
  — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
• Bol’s contribution on the defensive made just as much of an impact as his scoring, as well.
  — Journal Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2023
• California’s high gas prices have long put Democrats on the defensive.
  — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Sep. 2025
• And leaving threw Iran on the defensive, signaling it as the losing state in the war.
  — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
• And by then the caller is sufficiently on the defensive.
  — Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
• But what these elections will decide is which of the two major parties is going be on the defensive and most in need of reform.
  — Chuck Todd, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2022
• And for the moment, at least, liberal Latinos are on the defensive.
  — Geraldo Cadava, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2023
• Hamlin, a econd-year defensive back from Pitt, got up from the tackle and then appeared to go limp and fall backward.
  — David K. Li, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2023
• The comments have put Kinloch's campaign on the defensive.
  — Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 17 Oct. 2025
• But now the second-year defensive back is dealing with a calf issue that forced him to miss the game Saturday.
  — Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2022
• Seeming defensive about your error or attempting to pass blame onto others could raise red flags.
  — Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2025
• The counteroffensive there is one of the first for Ukrainian troops that have been largely on the defensive.
  — Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2022
• Ukrainian forces have in recent weeks been on the defensive as Russia launches fierce assaults along the front line.
  — Marc Santora, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024
• As the bottom lines have grown fatter, however, the companies are on the defensive.
  — Clifford Krauss, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2022