Defense or defence may refer to:

Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups

Defense (military) A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

, 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 Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force ...

, 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 defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in s ...

, 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) In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either ...

, an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring goals **

Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference t ...

, a player, other than the goaltender, in a defensive position ** Defensive batting, a method of avoiding being out in cricket

Law

Defense (legal) In a civil proceeding or criminal prosecution under the common law or under statute, a defendant may raise a defense (or defence) in an effort to avert civil liability or criminal conviction. A defense is put forward by a party to defeat a ...

, 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 of self-defense (also called, when it applies to the defense of another, alter ego defense, defense of others, defense of a third person) is the right for people to use reasonable or defensive force, for the purpose of defending one' ...

, the right for people to use reasonable force to defend themselves

Places

Defence, Karachi The Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Karachi ( ur, ), formerly Pakistan Defence Officers Cooperative Housing Society, is a residential neighbourhood or a housing society located within Clifton Cantonment of Karachi. It was originally establis ...

, a neighbourhood located within Clifton Cantonment of Karachi, Pakistan * La Défense, a business district near Paris ** The

Grande Arche La Grande Arche de la Défense (; "The Great Arch of the Defense"), originally called La Grande Arche de la Fraternité (; "Fraternity"), is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west ...

, commonly known as Arche de la Défense, near Paris

Other uses

Defense (chess) A chess opening or simply an opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established theory; the other phases are the middlegame and the endgame. Many opening sequences have standard names such as the "Sicilian Defe ...

, a chess opening by Black * ''Defence'' (ship), name of several ships ** HMS ''Defence'', Royal Navy ships of this name * ''

DeFence 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 indus ...

'', an art project *

Thesis defense A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144 ...

, oral examination required for certain advanced degrees *

Defence mechanisms In psychoanalytic theory, a defence mechanism (American English: defense mechanism), is an unconscious psychological operation that functions to protect a person from anxiety-producing thoughts and feelings related to internal conflicts and ...

, unconscious psychological mechanisms that reduce anxiety

Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups

Sports

Law

Places

Other uses

See also