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

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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

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 Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 73 Ukrainian drones from late Wednesday until early Thursday. — ABC News, 9 July 2026 Russia’s Defense Ministry said its defenses downed 73 Ukrainian drones from late Wednesday into early Thursday. — Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 The systems will also strengthen defenses against large drone swarms. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026 Proceedings began Tuesday morning with defenses from a panel of government officials, including diplomats and trade authorities from Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras and Peru, according to reporting from Bloomberg. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026 Factors like the providers’ pricing model, rate limiting policies, context window size, and existing defenses could all impact how effective the approach is. — Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 8 July 2026 Dëmin still has to bring this force, balance and decision-making into NBA minutes, against better athletes, tighter scouting and more disciplined defenses. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 8 July 2026 Air raid sirens sounded for hours overnight, and explosions were heard across the city as Ukrainian air defenses worked to repel waves of incoming weapons. — Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 2 July 2026 Then, oh yeah, defenses can’t focus too much on those guys because of how much attention Joel Embiid commands. — Tony Jones, New York Times, 2 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenses

Noun

The restrictions were overturned late last month following weeks of discussions that led to Anthropic creating additional cybersecurity safeguards for its technology.

— Lorelei Smillie, Fortune, 9 July 2026
Election officials in both states already use multiple safeguards to verify eligibility, maintain voter rolls, and investigate potential violations.

— Reid Ribble, Time, 8 July 2026

Definition of safeguards

Noun

In a 6-3 ruling split along ideological lines, the Supreme Court determined that federal caps on coordinated spending between candidates and political parties violate constitutional free speech protections.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2026
Hawaii The state allows participation based on gender identity, with protections rooted in broader state anti-discrimination laws.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026

Definition of protections

Noun

What was the breakdown for and against and what justifications did the majority give for its decision?

— Dana Taylor, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Its role is to expose wrongdoing, illuminate facts, and draw the world’s attention to crimes committed in the name of false causes and manufactured justifications.

— Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

Definition of justifications

Noun

Reflective, multilayer shields will block the most heat, and ones with a thicker foam core will work much better than thin ones.

— Cody Godwin, USA Today, 26 June 2026
Security-camera footage filmed Harris and Perez getting out of their cars armed with their Glock service pistols and ballistic shields, the report states.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026

Definition of shields

Noun

Things had improved since then, before spilling out into the open late last year when Saudi Arabia bombed a port in Yemen targeting a weapons shipment from the UAE.

— Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 9 July 2026
Josh Brolin reprises his role as weapons master Gurney Halleck; Javier Bardem is back as Stilgar, leader of the Fremen tribe at Sietch Tabr; and Jason Momoa returns as Duncan Idaho/Hayt.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

Definition of weapons

Noun

The room, its walls expensively craquelure'd to resemble fractured eggshells, its pale taffeta curtains billowing in the chill English breeze, is more Hollywood boudoir than office.

— Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 5 July 2026
Clean Grease Prints Similar to oil stains on clothes, chalk can also remove grease prints from doors, cabinets, walls, and other surfaces.

— Emily Benda Gaylord, The Spruce, 5 July 2026