de·​fense | noun | di-fen(t)s

as antonym of “offense” often

: the act or action of defending

law : a defending party or group (as in a court of law)

: the denial, answer, or plea of one against whom a criminal or civil action is brought

: the collected facts and method adopted by a defendant to protect and defend against a plaintiff’s action

: an argument in support or justification

sports : a defensive team

: ability to keep an opponent from scoring in a game or contest

: means or method of defending or protecting oneself, one’s team, or another

chess : a sequence of moves available to the second player in the opening

government : the military and industrial aggregate that authorizes and supervises arms production, as in “defense contract”

“Defense companies get the bulk of their revenue from one customer — the U.S. government. Fortunately, that customer has deep pockets and a long history of paying its bills. The federal government’s stability gives defense companies and investors some predictability when it comes to managing cash and projecting growth.” (Whiteman, The Motley Fool)

“The United States led the ranking of countries with highest military spending in 2022, with 877 billion U.S. dollars dedicated to the military.” (Dyvik, Statista)

“Aside from the callousness of casually discussing the financial benefits of far-off armed conflict, the comments raise questions about whether these major institutional shareholders of weapons stocks are abiding by their own human rights policies.” (Clifton, The Guardian)

“The US Government supplies foreign aid, to include military equipment, however it sees fit to help its own interests. All other world powers do the same and have done the same throughout history.” (some guy on the internet)

Is defense really the opposite of offense?

Definitions taken and remixed from Merriam-Webster.