1
as in safeguards
means or method of defending
thorns are a rose's defense against grazing animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excuses
an explanation that frees one from fault or blame
there's absolutely no defense for your actions
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Lai has pledged to increase military spending to 5% of GDP by 2030, strengthening the island’s defenses in the face of a rising threat from its giant neighbor China.
—
Reuters, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2025
Gmail’s defenses are strong, and users remain protected.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
This one could get high scoring as both the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins have defenses that struggled as of late.
—Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
But that year of experience was vital for Robinson to understand how to use his athletic gifts to attack defenses and how playing with pace is more than just trying to fly by your matchup every trip down the court.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
The latest nuclear weapons developments follow heightened military tensions in Europe, where NATO is strengthening its defenses amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
More physical defenses, a bigger stockpile of spare parts, greater grid transmission capacity from Europe, and backup supplies of natural gas are all urgently needed, the IEA said in an analysis of Ukraine’s readiness this week.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The Missile Defense Agency issued an October 16 internal memo that criticized A House of Dynamite for portraying its nuclear missile defenses as only 50 percent effective, which was then leaked to Bloomberg, per an October 25 report.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Your immune system also uses sleep to recharge its defenses.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Reuters, NBC news, 31 Oct. 2025
Gmail’s defenses are strong, and users remain protected.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
This one could get high scoring as both the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins have defenses that struggled as of late.
—Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
But that year of experience was vital for Robinson to understand how to use his athletic gifts to attack defenses and how playing with pace is more than just trying to fly by your matchup every trip down the court.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
The latest nuclear weapons developments follow heightened military tensions in Europe, where NATO is strengthening its defenses amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
More physical defenses, a bigger stockpile of spare parts, greater grid transmission capacity from Europe, and backup supplies of natural gas are all urgently needed, the IEA said in an analysis of Ukraine’s readiness this week.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The Missile Defense Agency issued an October 16 internal memo that criticized A House of Dynamite for portraying its nuclear missile defenses as only 50 percent effective, which was then leaked to Bloomberg, per an October 25 report.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Your immune system also uses sleep to recharge its defenses.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenses
Noun
-
Companies that host or enable these tools must now consider stronger safeguards and faster takedown systems.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Lawsuit alleges OpenAI weakened suicide safeguards to boost ChatGPT use.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That’s not surprising, but no excuses.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most banged up teams in the entire NFL, but head coach Kyle Shanahan isn't interested in excuses.—
Max Dible,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
America has world-class research institutions, strong intellectual property protections, unparalleled capital markets and a culture of entrepreneurship that no competitor can replicate.—
Sen. Todd Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Our expert take The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections and more.—
Jasmin Suknanan,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In this era, several justifications were offered for enslaving Africans.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Local leaders, on the other hand, continued to push back on the administration's justifications and the administration's characterizations of violence in their cities.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Observers suggest that the test increases pressure on the United States and NATO to reconsider current policies and adapt to the introduction of underwater nuclear drones capable of evading ballistic missile shields.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
-
While effective, Whipple shields are heavy, costly, and prone to fragmentation on impact, ironically adding more debris to the environment they’re meant to protect.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Fujimura also explained the historical reasons for why Japanese IP is so strong – starting with the periodical manga magazines that became popular in the 1950s, evolving into the anime business that boomed with the growth of Japan’s animation studios and TV networks in the 1960s.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
-
But according to the song's very own author, the weary search for reasons is more the point than the restoration of belief.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Odysseus, the Ithacan warrior who is as celebrated for craftiness as Achilles is for brute strength, devises a clever ruse in which the Greeks place a giant wooden horse outside Troy’s walls and pretend to sail away.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Whether through an honest conversation or an unexpected emotional release, this transit helps dissolve walls and toxic barriers, revealing what’s actually hiding beneath the mystery.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Takaichi plans to remove remaining restrictions on weapons exports in an effort to boost the defense industry.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Ice dancers Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing were seen with a large toy version of China’s new DF-61 missile – a huge intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) transported on an eight-axle truck and capable of carrying nuclear weapons – at the Cup of China in Chongqing on Saturday.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defenses. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share