1
as in safeguards
means or method of defending
thorns are a rose's defense against grazing animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of defenses
Meyers said protecting against the intrusions is a constant battle and as companies tighten their defenses, operatives will shift tactics.
—
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 14 May 2026
Conventional missile defenses can be expensive and limited in ammunition, while laser systems can continue operating as long as the ship has sufficient electrical power.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
Air defenses shot down or jammed 693 Russian targets overnight, including 41 missiles and 652 drones of various types nationwide, the air force said.
—Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
The Palisades, its homes, and its overwhelmed defenses had been built for a climate that no longer exists.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Opposing defenses bludgeoned them with ground game — running the ball straight up the gut on Miami — putting Anthony Weaver’s defense on its heels most games, especially early.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
Air defenses shot down or jammed 693 Russian targets overnight, including 41 missiles and 652 drones of various types, across the country, Ukraine’s air force said .
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Last week, Infantino made other defenses of the strategy, including a misleading comparison to NCAA football.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 13 May 2026
The forward was a nightmare for opposing defenses, finishing the year with 30 goals and nine assists, including five crucial playoff goals.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 14 May 2026
Conventional missile defenses can be expensive and limited in ammunition, while laser systems can continue operating as long as the ship has sufficient electrical power.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
Air defenses shot down or jammed 693 Russian targets overnight, including 41 missiles and 652 drones of various types nationwide, the air force said.
—Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
The Palisades, its homes, and its overwhelmed defenses had been built for a climate that no longer exists.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Opposing defenses bludgeoned them with ground game — running the ball straight up the gut on Miami — putting Anthony Weaver’s defense on its heels most games, especially early.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
Air defenses shot down or jammed 693 Russian targets overnight, including 41 missiles and 652 drones of various types, across the country, Ukraine’s air force said .
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Last week, Infantino made other defenses of the strategy, including a misleading comparison to NCAA football.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 13 May 2026
The forward was a nightmare for opposing defenses, finishing the year with 30 goals and nine assists, including five crucial playoff goals.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenses
Noun
-
The surrogacy process has safeguards in place to ensure the safety of all parties involved.—
Ann Marie Luft,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
The report also notes that 10 Republican state attorneys general have urged the SEC to closely examine OpenAI’s disclosures ahead of a potential public offering, while Congress has separately requested information about the company’s safeguards around conflicts of interest.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Louderback, though, never made excuses or referred to others who might have prevented it from happening.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
-
His excuses ranged from being too cold, to not having his phone or watch on him, to being a chill person who doesn’t like to show up early to the tee.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
In an email to Krebs, Valadon claimed that the repo’s commit logs show that GitHub’s default protections against committing secrets—protections designed to protect unwitting or unskilled developers against exactly this kind of stupidness—had been disabled by the repo’s administrator.—
Lee Hutchinson,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
-
Raman emphasized tenant protections and increased housing production, while presenting herself as an alternative to the current administration.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
No excuses, no justifications, a sincere apology.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
-
No excuses, no justifications, a sincere apology.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Unlike the show’s first teaser, the new clip includes footage of Jordan using his power ring to manifest shields, take flight and even create counterfeit money.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
Police with riot shields used tear gas and rubber bullets on the crowd, ABC Australia reported.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
There are many reasons to be concerned about this particular Ebola outbreak.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Numerous Democratic officeholders raised questions about whether Colbert was axed for political reasons.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
On top of pocket knives, other sharp items that could be used as weapons, like corkscrews, Swiss Army knives, and box cutters, are not allowed through TSA.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
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The change would not end the sale of weapons to Israel, such as the F-35s and missile defense systems that give it a military edge over regional adversaries.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Donkey soccer was our reprieve from the weight of the world and the foundation of an unlikely community during a time when political forces were trying to build walls between us.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
On the walls hung vertical scrolls of Chinese calligraphy.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defenses. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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