defense

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Neither the prosecution nor the defense is allowed to summon any witnesses whose testimony might interfere with federal prosecutors 'criminal case against Blagojevich.

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Definitions (38)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (12)

  1. noun The act of defending against attack, danger, or injury.
  2. noun A means or method of defending or protecting.
  3. noun Sports The act or an instance of defending a championship against a challenger: will box in his third defense of his title.
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Examples (46)

  • At one stage the solicitor general, in his red robe, left his seat to put in his own words, and a little later it seemed as if the young counsel for the defense was about to follow his example. —  Maigret in Court - Georges Simenon - 83 - 1960
  • Neither the prosecution nor the defense was allowed to summon any witnesses whose testimony might interfere with an ongoing federal criminal case. —  CourierPostOnline.com - News
  • This defense is a really good defense, but comparing it to the 2000 D is crazy. —  Blog updates
  • "We've played good defense, and usually good defense translates into good games for us." —  Grand Island Independent Home RSS
  • It is nowhere identified as a defense, and it is in Part II. —  Patent Law Blog (Patently-O)
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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (1)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old French, from Latin dēfēnsa, from feminine past participle of dēfendere, to ward off; see defend.
 

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/dikˈfɛns/
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