characterized by extreme care and great effort; "conscientious application to the work at hand"; "painstaking research"; "scrupulous attention to details"
guided by or in accordance with conscience or sense of right and wrong; "a conscientious decision to speak out about injustice"
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking); "My grandmother is hard of hearing--you'll have to shout"
utter a sudden loud cry; "she cried with pain when the doctor inserted the needle"; "I yelled to her from the window but she couldn't hear me"
the act of starting a new operation or practice; "he opposed the inauguration of fluoridation"; "the startup of the new factory was delayed by strikes"
the ceremonial induction into a position; "the new president obviously enjoyed his inauguration"
the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new; "she looked forward to her initiation as an adult"; "the foundation of a new scientific society"; "he regards the fork as a modern introduction"
a formal entry into an organization or position or office; "his initiation into the club"; "he was ordered to report for induction into the army"; "he gave a speech as part of his installation into the hall of fame"
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"
the kitchen area for food preparation on an airliner
(classical antiquity) a crescent-shaped seagoing vessel propelled by oars
a large medieval vessel with a single deck propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the Mediterranean for war and trading