n. The act of shielding or guarding from attack or injury; the act of resisting an attack or assault.n. The act of maintaining, supporting, or vindicating by force or argument.n. Something that repels or guards against attack, violence, danger, or injury; a protection; a safeguard; a security; a fortification.n. A speech or writing intended to repel or disprove a charge or an accusation; a vindication; an apology.n. In law: The method adopted by a person against whom legal proceedings have been taken for defending himself against them. More specificallyn. The opposing or denial of the charge or cause of action, or of some essential element in it, as distinguished from opposition by a counter-claim.n. Defiance; resistance; offense.n. A prohibition.n. The science of defending against attack by force of arms; skill in defending from danger by means of weapons or of the fists; specifically, fencing or boxing.n. plural In heraldry, the natural weapons of an animal used as a bearing, as the tusks of a boar, or the like.n. The distance from the salient of a bastion to the opposite flank.n. A method or course to be pursued in conducting a defense of any kind.To defend; protect; guard; shield; fortify.To defend; vindicate; maintain.