English Dictionary

Define dictionary terms easily in our powerful online English dictionary.

Searching for...

No matching words found

Try a different search term or browse the dictionary

Definition defensive in British English

defensive adjective

adjective
/dɪˈfensɪv/
1

intended or used for protecting a place during an attack

Example

defensive weapons

Synonyms and related words
2

showing that you are angry or offended when you think that someone is criticizing you

Example

He got really defensive when I asked why he had left.

Synonyms and related words
3

intended to stop the other team from scoring points in a game

Example

a strong defensive effort

Synonyms and related words
4

a defensive player tries to stop the other team from scoring points

Synonyms and related words
Definition defensive in British English