an impenetrable barrier to communication or information especially as imposed by rigid censorship and secrecy; used by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the demarcation between democratic and communist countries
an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes; "they stormed the ramparts of the city"; "they blew the trumpet and the walls came tumbling down"
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure; "the south wall had a small window"; "the walls were covered with pictures"
a masonry fence (as around an estate or garden); "the wall followed the road"; "he ducked behind the garden wall and waited"
a layer of material that encloses space; "the walls of the cylinder were perforated"; "the container's walls were blue"
(anatomy) a layer (a lining or membrane) that encloses a structure; "stomach walls"
anything that suggests a wall in structure or function or effect; "a wall of water"; "a wall of smoke"; "a wall of prejudice"; "negotiations ran into a brick wall"
a vertical (or almost vertical) smooth rock face (as of a cave or mountain)
a difficult or awkward situation; "his back was to the wall"; "competition was pushing them to the wall"
the heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area rather than hit a specific target; "they laid down a barrage in front of the advancing troops"; "the shelling went on for hours without pausing"
the rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication (spoken or written); "a barrage of questions"; "a bombardment of mail complaining about his mistake"
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"
a cushion-like device that reduces shock due to contact
a power tool used to buff surfaces
(computer science) a part of RAM used for temporary storage of data that is waiting to be sent to a device; used to compensate for differences in the rate of flow of data between components of a computer system
an ionic compound that resists changes in its pH
add a buffer (a solution); "buffered saline solution for the eyes"