Defense or defence may refer to:

Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups

  • Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
  • Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
  • Defense industry, industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology
  • Self-defense, the use of force to defend oneself
  • Haganah (Hebrew for "The Defence"), a paramilitary organization in British Palestine
  • National security, security of a nation state, its citizens, economy, and institutions, as a duty of government
  • Defence diplomacy, pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the peaceful employment of defence resources
  • Ministry of defence or department of defense, a part of government which regulates the armed forces
  • Defence minister, a cabinet position in charge of a ministry of defense
  • International security, measures taken by states and international organizations to ensure mutual survival and safety

Sports

  • Defense (sports), the action of preventing an opponent from scoring
  • Defender (association football), an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring goals
  • Defenceman (ice hockey), a player, other than the goaltender, in a defensive position
  • Defensive batting, a method of avoiding being out in cricket

Law

  • Defense (legal), an attempt to avoid criminal or civil liability
  • Defence of property, argument that a defendant should not be held liable for any loss caused while acting to protect their property
  • Right of self-defense, the right for people to use reasonable force to defend themselves

Places

  • Defence, Karachi, a neighbourhood located within Clifton Cantonment of Karachi, Pakistan
  • La Défense, a business district near Paris
  • The Grande Arche, commonly known as Arche de la Défense, near Paris

Other uses

  • The Defence (TV series), a 2018 Polish television series
  • Defense (chess), a chess opening by Black
  • Defence (ship), name of several ships
  • HMS Defence, Royal Navy ships of this name
  • Thesis defense, oral examination required for certain advanced degrees
  • Defence mechanisms, unconscious psychological mechanisms that reduce anxiety
  • "The Defence", a song by Black Midi from Hellfire

See also

  • Defender (disambiguation)
  • Biological defense (disambiguation)
  • National defense (disambiguation)
  • Protection (disambiguation)