Defense or defence may refer to:

Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups

* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industry, industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology * Self-defense, the use of force to defend oneself * Haganah (Hebrew for "The Defence"), a paramilitary organization in British Palestine * National security, security of a nation state, its citizens, economy, and institutions, as a duty of government ** Defence diplomacy, pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the peaceful employment of defence resources ** Ministry of defence or department of defense, a part of government which regulates the armed forces ** Defence minister, a cabinet position in charge of a ministry of defense * International security, measures taken by states and international organizations to ensure mutual survival and safety

Sports

* Defense (sports), the action of preventing an opponent from scoring ** Defender (association football), an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring goals ** Defenceman (ice hockey), a player, other than the goaltender, in a defensive position ** Batting (cricket)#Defensive shot, Defensive batting, a method of avoiding being out in cricket

Law

* Defense (legal), an attempt to avoid criminal or civil liability * Defence of property, argument that a defendant should not be held liable for any loss caused while acting to protect their property * Right of self-defense, the right for people to use reasonable force to defend themselves

Places

* Defence, Karachi, a neighbourhood located within Clifton Cantonment of Karachi, Pakistan * La Défense, a business district near Paris ** The Grande Arche, commonly known as Arche de la Défense, near Paris

Other uses

* Defense (chess), a chess opening by Black * Defence (ship), ''Defence'' (ship), name of several ships ** HMS Defence, HMS ''Defence'', Royal Navy ships of this name * ''DeFence'', an art project * Thesis defense, oral examination required for certain advanced degrees * Defence mechanisms, unconscious psychological mechanisms that reduce anxiety

Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups

Sports

Law

Places

Other uses

See also