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
Hezbollah has introduced fiber-optic drones to its arsenal in the latest escalation with Israel, using nearly invisible cables to control the weapons and bypass Israeli electronic defenses that down other drones.
—
Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Militaries have spent years building up their defenses against drone warfare, with one of the most effective methods being the use of electronic jamming to sever the radio connection between the operator and the drone.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2026
There is evidence that pre-emptive defenses like this have some effect.
—Evan Johnson, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026
The fiber-optic drones are the latest part of a cat-and-mouse race as Israel’s high-tech defenses race to intercept new threats, especially ones that are less sophisticated.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
There’s the brooding, damaged Creasy, who confusingly passes out at inopportune moments owing to his trauma; an international setting (Italy in the book and first film, Mexico City in the 2004 movie); and a young woman who breaks through his defenses and teaches him to feel again.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026
In October 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin said missiles fired by Russian air defenses to target a Ukrainian drone that exploded near the aircraft had been responsible for the jet crash.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
The two were teammates, with Crowe feasting on spot-up 3s as defenses swarmed Kennard and Division I basketball coaches watched in the stands.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The team responsible for testing the nation’s security defenses was among those pushed out.
—Sue Halpern, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Militaries have spent years building up their defenses against drone warfare, with one of the most effective methods being the use of electronic jamming to sever the radio connection between the operator and the drone.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 30 Apr. 2026
There is evidence that pre-emptive defenses like this have some effect.
—Evan Johnson, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026
The fiber-optic drones are the latest part of a cat-and-mouse race as Israel’s high-tech defenses race to intercept new threats, especially ones that are less sophisticated.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
There’s the brooding, damaged Creasy, who confusingly passes out at inopportune moments owing to his trauma; an international setting (Italy in the book and first film, Mexico City in the 2004 movie); and a young woman who breaks through his defenses and teaches him to feel again.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026
In October 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin said missiles fired by Russian air defenses to target a Ukrainian drone that exploded near the aircraft had been responsible for the jet crash.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
The two were teammates, with Crowe feasting on spot-up 3s as defenses swarmed Kennard and Division I basketball coaches watched in the stands.
—Dan Woike, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
The team responsible for testing the nation’s security defenses was among those pushed out.
—Sue Halpern, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defenses
Noun
-
The Broward School Board has approved new safeguards after facing criticism from state Republican leaders for using a district logo and a district credit card in connection to a Democratic Party fundraiser.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The proposal would specifically define terms like event contracts while also requiring exchanges to implement safeguards against advertising, illicit finance, and fund segregation.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Venus and Saturn make this full moon the right time to finally take a look at your figures without excuses.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
25 Apr. 2026
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Yet both Piker and Tolentino move from discussing nonlethal crimes of nuisance and destruction to making excuses for murder.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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During his appearances on Capitol Hill this month, Secretary Kennendy was grilled about the administration's defense of the pesticide industry and weakening of protections against mercury pollution, another issue that Kennedy had worked on as an advocate.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
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Revisiting maps mid-decade for political advantage runs directly against both the spirit and the plain language of those protections.—
Dan Daley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Grove said the agency’s justifications for consolidating offices in Salt Lake City, Utah, don’t make sense.—
Karl Hille,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Apr. 2026
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The numbers and justifications don’t add up.—
Kristen Monsell,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Another $3 million is going toward retrofitting bus shields for bus operators.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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The crimson, sapphire, and emerald of the shields are echoed in the ladies' gowns and the jewels on their necks, ears, and wrists.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Of course, artists make choices in biographical shows for a whole variety of reasons, whether in service of the storytelling, to appease those who would prefer to remain anonymous or even self-protection.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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One of the primary reasons that some car buyers avoid vehicles with electric powertrains is the lengthy duration of charging sessions.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Amodei cited the concern that Anthropic technology would be used for fully autonomous lethal weapons whose decisions were made without human involvement — and the potential for AI to be used for mass domestic surveillance on an unprecedented scale.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
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In addition to SBIs to defend against missile attacks, Golden Dome will include lower-altitude and ground-based munitions suited for eliminating drones and other smaller, slower-moving aerial weapons.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For Chelsea Bennett, a mother of two from Florida, those moments often echo through the walls of her home at night, carried by the unmistakable sound of her 9-year-old daughter, Kennedy, singing her heart out in the shower.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
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Colossal heads, with luminous faces – intense and inscrutable – line the walls of Jenny Saville's studio in Oxford, England.—
Elizabeth Palmer,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defenses. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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