defenses
Shields against attack
Defenses are protective measures against attack, harm, or criticism.
A country builds military defenses; a person puts up emotional defenses.
In sports, defense is the team or strategy preventing the opponent from scoring.
In law, defenses are arguments justifying or excusing conduct: self-defense, insanity defense.
The body's immune defenses fight infection.
British spelling: defences.
Defensive barriers against attack
- barricadesStructures preventing passage
- trenchesElongated ground excavations
- bunkersFortified underground chambers
- battlementsNotched defensive wall top
citadel · stronghold · fortress · bastion · parapet · ramparts · moat · garrison
Proteins targeting pathogens
- vaccinationAdministered immunity booster
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- immune responseBody fighting foreign threats
- white blood cellsPathogen-fighting components of plasma
lymphocytes · T-cells · B-cells · immunization · innate immunity · immunotherapy · autoimmunity · immunosuppression
Network access control system
- encryptionConverting data into code
- antivirusMalware detection program
- authenticationConfirming genuine identity
- passwordAuthentication string
biometrics · access control · intrusion detection · VPN · two-factor authentication · phishing protection · honeypot · encryption key
Protective edge barriers
- helmetsProtective head coverings
- seatbeltsVehicle passenger restraints
- airbagsCrash-activated vehicle cushions
- smoke detectorsDevices sensing airborne combustion particles
fire extinguishers · safety goggles · life jackets · safety nets · childproofing · circuit breakers · surge protectors · antilock brakes
Defense of location
- pleaFormal request or defense
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- rebuttalFormal response disputing claims
cross-examination · mitigation · acquittal · appeal · insanity plea · diminished capacity · duress · entrapment
Refusal to accept reality
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
- sublimationSolid to gas directly
displacement · regression · compartmentalization · intellectualization · reaction formation · suppression · avoidance · dissociation
fortifications
Defensive barriers against attack
- barricadesStructures preventing passage
- trenchesElongated ground excavations
- bunkersFortified underground chambers
battlements · citadel · stronghold · fortress · bastion · parapet · ramparts · moat · garrison · watchtower
antibodies
Proteins targeting pathogens
- vaccinationAdministered immunity booster
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- immune responseBody fighting foreign threats
white blood cells · lymphocytes · T-cells · B-cells · immunization · innate immunity · immunotherapy · autoimmunity · immunosuppression · cytokines
firewall
Network access control system
- encryptionConverting data into code
- antivirusMalware detection program
- authenticationConfirming genuine identity
password · biometrics · access control · intrusion detection · VPN · two-factor authentication · phishing protection · honeypot · encryption key · authorization
guardrails
Protective edge barriers
- helmetsProtective head coverings
- seatbeltsVehicle passenger restraints
- airbagsCrash-activated vehicle cushions
smoke detectors · fire extinguishers · safety goggles · life jackets · safety nets · childproofing · circuit breakers · surge protectors · antilock brakes · emergency exits
alibi
Defense of location
rebuttal · cross-examination · mitigation · acquittal · appeal · insanity plea · diminished capacity · duress · entrapment · justification
denial
Refusal to accept reality
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
sublimation · displacement · regression · compartmentalization · intellectualization · reaction formation · suppression · avoidance · dissociation · coping mechanisms
- base buildingswalls, towers, barracks, turrets, gates
- fortificationsfort, fortress, fortresses, citadel, citadels
- safeguardssafeguards, safety valve, protections, kill switch, emergency stop
- criminal lawcrime, felony, misdemeanor, murder, robbery
- litigationpleadings, lawsuit, plaintiff, complaint, lawsuits
- psychoanalysisFreud, id, ego, unconscious, Sigmund Freud
defensesattacks
Aggressive hostile actions
offenses · offensives · assaults · strikes · aggressions
defensesvulnerabilities
Exploitable weak points
weaknesses · exposures · openings · gaps · liabilities
defensesopenness
Quality of being accessible
vulnerability · transparency · acceptance · receptivity · trust
- defense contractorsMilitary weapons manufacturers
- defense policyStrategy for national protection
- thesis defenseOral examination of dissertation
- defense attorneyLawyer representing the accused
- defense lawyerAttorney for the accused
- on the defensiveGuarding against criticism or attack
defense, defensive, defensible, defensively, defensiveness, defensibly, defensibility