# defence
## English
### Alternative forms

* defense (US)

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /dɪˈfɛns/
** Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛns

### Etymology 1

From Middle English defens, defense, from Old French defens, defense, from Late Latin dēfēnsa (“protection”). Displaced Old English bewering.

#### Noun

defence (countable and uncountable, plural defences) (British spelling)
* The action of defending, of protecting from attack, danger or injury.
** 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:In cases of defence ’tis best to weigh The enemy more mighty than he seems:
* Something used to oppose attacks.
** 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 12”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:And nothing ’gainst Time’s scythe can make defence Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.
* An argument in support or justification of something.
** 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 89”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:Speak of my lameness, and I straight will halt, Against thy reasons making no defence.
** 2016 June 11, Phil McNulty, “England 1-1 Russia”, in BBC Sport‎:In Hodgson's defence, it must be stated that in large parts this was a vibrant, energetic performance with the emphasis almost exclusively on attack.
* (team sports) A strategy and tactics employed to prevent the other team from scoring; contrasted with offence.
* (team sports) The portion of a team dedicated to preventing the other team from scoring; contrasted with offence.
* Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military.
    Department of Defence
* (obsolete) Prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.
** 1673, William Temple, “An Essay upon the Advancement of Trade in Ireland” in Miscellanea, London: Edw[ard] Gellibrand, 1680, p. 116,
    […] severe defences may be made against weaving any Linnen under a certain breadth, such as may be of better use to the poorest People […]

##### Usage notes

* The noun spelling is mainly used in the UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand; defense is more commonly used in the US.

##### Synonyms

* See Thesaurus:defence

##### Antonyms

* offence (Commonwealth), offense (US)

##### Derived terms

* antidefence, antidefense
* attack is the best form of defence
* biodefence
* civil defence
* defence accord
* defence diplomacy
* defence in depth
* defence lawyer
* defenceless, defenseless
* defenceman
* defence mechanism, defense mechanism
* defensive
* defensiveness
* eco-defence
* ecodefence, ecodefense
* goal defence
* home defence
* millionaire's defence
* Nuremberg defence, Nuremberg defense
* Pac-Man defence
* personal defence weapon
* point defence
* Portsmouth defence
* preemptive self-defence
* rush defence
* self-defence
* space defence
* special defence
* spring to somebody's defence
* the best defence is attack
* tower defence
* Twinkie defence
* wing defence

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

From Middle English defencen, defensen, from Old French defenser or its etymon, Latin dēfēnsō.

#### Verb

defence (third-person singular simple present defences, present participle defencing, simple past and past participle defenced)
* (obsolete, transitive) To furnish with defences; to fortify.
** 1656, John Hales, Dixi Custodiam:Better manned and more strongly defenced.

### References

* ↑ “dēfensen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
* ↑ “defence | defense, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.