Collocations for "defense"
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "defense" in context.
WordReference English Collocations © 2025
defense
ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.n
- [military, public, national, personal] defense
- spend [$500 million] on defense (annually)
- [border, access, system] defenses
- during the defense of the [country, city]
- acted as a defense for the [city, village, castle]
- [bolster, improve, strengthen] the team's defense
- (the team) is [solid, organized, good] in defense
- sports: plays in [central, wide] defense
- sports: plays on defense (and offense)
- has a [strong, weak] defense
- [acted, fought] in self-defense
- [claimed, said] it was (in) self-defense
- the court heard [statements, accounts] for the defense
- the [attorney, legal representative] for the defense
- the defense was based on [her testimony, a key piece of evidence]
- the defense of [human, animal, civil] rights
- speak in defense of [human] rights
- yes, but in his defense, [she started it, he didn't know that]
- came to his [friend's, coworker's] defense
- the defense [attorney, lawyer]
- [enforce, make, plan] defense [cuts, cutbacks]
- [increase, reduce] the defense budget
'defense' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Ministry
- alibi
- attack
- blade
- break
- cite
- coach
- collapse
- complex
- consulation
- contend
- contractor
- controller
- counsel
- counselor
- counterpart
- department
- evidence
- expenditure
- homeland
- intervene
- lawyer
- mare
- minister
- muscle
- notwithstanding
- outcry
- passionate
- plaintiff
- prosecution
- realm
- rest
- self
- snake
- snarl
- stingy
- weak
- wedding