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 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 Rutte pledged to bolster the 32-nation alliance's defenses along its long eastern border with Russia and with Belarus, a Russian ally. — Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026 For organizations wanting to move toward a preemptive model, the first step is understanding where your organization is most exposed and where existing defenses depend on human intervention. — Chris Dimitriadis, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026 Victor Wembanyama, in particular, struggled to create good looks when defenses ramped up the physicality in the fourth quarter and killed the Spurs’ execution. — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Don’t expect Boise State to move away from the blitz, though — at the end of the day, the Broncos have faced a Heisman Trophy candidate QB in Oregon’s Dante Moore, and a Memphis offense that asks opposing defenses to cover a lot of space. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 16 Sep. 2026 Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its air defenses downed 71 Ukrainian drones overnight. — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed 71 Ukrainian drones overnight. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenses

Noun

Anthropic warned that such real-world misuse could grow as AI models become more capable and called for AI companies and governments to work together on stronger safeguards and defenses.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Washington are scrambling to address calls for safeguards.

— Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of safeguards

Noun

Arteta and Arsenal had no need for excuses this time around, though, with Martin Odegaard scoring a late winner after a convincing team performance at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

— Art de Roché, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
That’s not to make excuses, but to put in context, what is also a sputtering, screwball-y film about masculine roles in a waning patriarchal society.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of excuses

Noun

Congress has recognized the problem, with the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act introduced in 2026 including provisions that would cap certain athlete-agent fees at 5% and impose additional contract protections.

— Chris Corr, Sportico.com, 17 Sep. 2026
CreativeFuture, the nonprofit advocating for creative copyright protections, was doing their own work, as were representatives from the TV Academy.

— Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of protections

Noun

Idaho allows exemptions for medical, religious or other reasons, and medical justifications account for very few of those exemptions, according to data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

— Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 21 Aug. 2026
At the center lies carceral safety politics—logics that turn fears of violence into justifications for punitive responses.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of justifications

Noun

Lucas and her attorneys with the Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian legal organization, assert that her ownership of the property shields her from banishment.

— Savannah Peters, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Among those shields is a whole tire from the landing gear from one of the planes that struck one of the towers and a portion of a steel beam, fashioned into a cross – both serving as a stark reminder of the attacks.

— Mark Morales, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of shields

Noun

And there might be strategic reasons to hold Luzardo back for a potential Game 3.

— Matt Gelb, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The move is striking for a number of reasons, ranging from the existing budget disparities between the two parties involved to the fact that the money would be used for projects that the current NIH leadership has explicitly rejected.

— John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of reasons

Noun

Though described as a sale, the transaction is financed through a mechanism known as foreign military financing, in which the United States provides the money that Israel uses to buy the weapons.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
Such a vehicle could use abundant electricity for lasers, microwave weapons, radar, and electronic warfare.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2026