defence: meaning and words from its letters
7 letters · 13 letter points · starts with D · ends with E
Meaning of defence
noun
- UK, countable, uncountable
The action of defending, of protecting from attack, danger or injury.
- UK, countable, uncountable
Something used to oppose attacks.
- UK, countable, uncountable
An argument in support or justification of something.
- UK, countable, uncountable
A strategy and tactics employed to prevent the other team from scoring; contrasted with offence.
Listed forms: defences, defense.
Source: Wiktionary — defence.
verb
- UK, obsolete, transitive
To furnish with defences; to fortify.
Listed forms: defences, defencing, defenced, defense.
Source: Wiktionary — defence.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki.org. Selected senses and forms; quotations omitted. Definition text is CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms by meaning
Words are grouped by sense, so they are not necessarily interchangeable in every context. Search synonyms for defence.
noun
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
- defense mechanism
- defense reaction
- defence mechanism
- defence reaction
- defense
noun
(sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring
- defense
- defending team
noun
the defendant and their legal advisors collectively
- defense
- defense team
- defense lawyers
noun
an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack
- defense
- defense force
- defence force
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is defence in our word lists?
| Word list | Status |
|---|---|
| American English | Not found |
| British English | Found |
| Extended English | Found |
These are spelling-list matches, not official game validity checks. Check the rules and dictionary used by your game.
Letter-value score of defence
D(2) + E(1) + F(4) + E(1) + N(1) + C(3) + E(1) = 13 points.
This is a sum of letter values without board bonuses or word multipliers. A blank tile is worth zero: subtract the value of each letter supplied by a blank. The score does not establish game validity. Full letter-value table.
Anagrams of defence
0 other standard-list words use exactly these letters, including repeated letters.
No other single-word anagram was found in our standard list.
Shorter words from defence
21 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in defence. Showing up to 24, longest first.