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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 With plenty to build on considering the way running back Kenneth Walker III’s presence in the backfield is creating crucial dilemmas for opposing defenses that for too long have been able to just predicate everything on stopping Mahomes. — Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026 The hastiness helps to explain why the administration’s defenses of the order varied so exotically. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026 But this year’s numbers are after three games against Stanford, Wake Forest and Florida A&M; last year’s numbers include games where Beck faced elite pass-rushing defenses like Texas A&M, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Louisville. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026 While a big company like Google could shore up its cybersecurity defenses against such attacks, for smaller companies — and for schools, hospitals or water treatment systems, for instance — patching software and building defenses can take years. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026 Polish military authorities said the brief violation indicated Moscow was once again testing the readiness and response times of NATO air defenses. — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026 The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that its air defenses overnight downed 244 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the waters of the Black Sea. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 Their bond deepens with the wry neuroses and gradually dropped defenses of many a midlife romantic comedy, though Parkinson’s complicates matters in unusual, empathetically explored ways. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026 Challenging down and distances, like a third-and-7, is when opposing defenses can bring extra rushers to get after the quarterback. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenses

Noun

Comcast said existing safeguards blocked the fraud attempt and that affected customers' credit and existing services were not impacted.

— Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
The company said respondents were selected among internet users in Venezuela and that the survey used geographic quotas and safeguards intended to prevent duplicate responses.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of safeguards

Noun

Catch and eliminate personal excuses, justifications, or peer comparisons.

— Brendan Keegan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
But voters should not reward candidates who hide behind weak excuses when avoiding debates and other unscripted events.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of excuses

Noun

An eye will need to focus on ethics and lessons from history, as well as from social and political philosophy regarding protections for individuals, communities, domestic and supranational institutions and humanity at large.

— Keith Tidman, Baltimore Sun, 24 Sep. 2026
The family said the diagnosis likely stems from his racing career — one in which drivers crushed bumpers and raced like gladiators without the safety protections found in the sport now.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of protections

Noun

Frimpong also referenced cases in which immigration officers offered justifications for an arrest that did not match evidence from the scene.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Mulligan’s Lindsay is brittle, entitled and frequently cruel, giving the actress the chance to deliver scathing rejoinders and self-deluded justifications, all with a deep reservoir of personal disappointment.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of justifications

Noun

Some demonstrators cursed at police officers holding riot shields, while others yelled out as passing cars honked in support of the protest.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
There are also three shields on the top deck, high up where everyone can stare accusatorily at whoever is brazen enough to grab one.

— Alice Burton, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of shields

Noun

But that also has disastrous consequences, for different reasons.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Catcher Caden Bodine had plenty of reasons to be excited about how his first season in the Rays organization went, following a December trade from Baltimore.

— Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of reasons

Noun

In the long history of artists taking over spaces that once housed the creation of deadly weapons—the Park Avenue Armory in New York, the Arsenale in Venice—Da Corte’s studio was a cannonball factory during the Civil War.

— Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 22 Sep. 2026
Police also found 11 luxury Rolex watches, along with weapons and drug selling paraphernalia, officials said at a press conference Monday.

— Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of weapons

Noun

The living room is the home’s focal point, according to its listing, with vaulted ceilings, fireplace and walls of glass framing the pool, tennis court, and terraces.

— Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
An action sports area is also planned with trampolines, climbing walls and indoor skate facilities.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026