DEFENSES Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

defenses

noun

plural of defense

as in safeguards

means or method of defending thorns are a rose's defense against grazing animals

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in excuses

an explanation that frees one from fault or blame there's absolutely no defense for your actions

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of defenses Perhaps alarmingly, the city’s air defenses appeared to be less active during the final wave of Russian strikes on Tuesday morning, with CNN producers hearing ongoing explosions, but not the sound of counter-systems firing. —

Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 4 June 2026 Or that Texas Tech, in Lubbock, winds up with one of the best defenses in the country without NIL? —

Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2026 Speaking in response to a question from the Associated Press during a meeting with heads of international news agencies, Putin acknowledged the damage from Ukrainian drone attacks and vowed to bolster Russian air defenses in response. —

James Jordan, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026 Ukrainian commanders have also been open about their systematic effort to erode Russian air defenses. —

David Brennan, ABC News, 4 June 2026 Finally, in the Oaxacan field test, the team showed that predatory wasps use the airborne distress signals to find their prey, but the relative importance of direct leaf defenses versus this indirect wasp recruitment isn’t clear. —

Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2026 Karl-Anthony Towns reinvented himself as the quarterback of the offense, Josh Hart knocked down shot after shot as defenses refused to close out, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges seemingly didn’t miss and Jalen Brunson is the unwavering offensive juggernaut known as The Captain. —

Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026 The broader network also includes older SA-2, SA-6 and SA-8 systems, along with mobile guns and man-portable air defenses. —

Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026 This will help reduce your attack surface and bolster your defenses against AI-powered phishing. —

Tom Kellermann, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenses

Noun

Patients showing symptoms are examined at the clinic before being referred to larger treatment centers, exposing doctors and nurses to potential infection with minimal safeguards.

— Mark Banchereau, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
The federal government plays by different rules than private collectors, though, and certain obligations can reach your benefits regardless of the safeguards that block everyone else.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 4 June 2026