protection from harm; "sanitation is the best defense against disease"
military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies; "they died in the defense of Stalingrad"; "they were developed for the defense program"
a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him; "he gave evidence for the defense"
the justification for some act or belief; "he offered a persuasive defense of the theory"
an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack; "he joined the defense against invasion"
the defendant and his legal advisors collectively; "the defense called for a mistrial"
(sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring; "his teams are always good on defense"
(ecology) a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other
a group of people living in a particular local area; "the team is drawn from all parts of the community"
a group of people having ethnic or cultural or religious characteristics in common; "the Christian community of the apostolic age"; "he was well known throughout the Catholic community"
a group of nations having common interests; "they hoped to join the NATO community"
common ownership; "they shared a community of possessions"
agreement as to goals; "the preachers and the bootleggers found they had a community of interests"