word-vault

{ "term": "defence", "partOfSpeech": "noun", "ox3000": true, "cefr": "b2", "definitions": [ { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "the act of protecting somebody/something from attack, criticism, etc.", "sensetop": "in defence of somebody/somethingin somebody's defence", "cefr": "b2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "soldiers who died in defence of their country", "contextForm": "in defence of somebody/something" }, { "text": "What points can be raised in defence of this argument?" }, { "text": "I have to say in her defence that she knew nothing about it beforehand.", "contextForm": "in somebody's defence" }, { "text": "When her brother was criticized she **leapt to his defence**." }, { "text": "to spring/jump/rush to the defence of somebody/something" }, { "text": "to fight in defence of your country" }, { "text": "He paid tribute to all those who had died in defence of their country." }, { "text": "She spoke in his defence." }, { "text": "He always sprang to Rose's defence when Ed tried to criticize her." }, { "text": "She has shown courage in coming to the defence of the embattled president." }, { "text": "His friends rallied to his defence." }, { "text": "All available troops were rushed to the defence of the great city." } ], "topics": ["War and conflict"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["adequate", "effective", "immune"], "verb + defence/defense": ["come to", "leap to", "rush to"], "preposition": ["in defence of", "defence against"], "phrases": ["weapons of defence"] } }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "something that provides protection against attack from enemies, the weather, illness, etc.", "sensetop": "defence against something", "cefr": "b2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "They are responsible for maintaining coastal **flood defences**." }, { "text": "At this point the country had no effective air defences." }, { "text": "The town walls were built as a defence against enemy attacks.", "contextForm": "defence against something" }, { "text": "a new **missile defence** system *(= for defence against )*" }, { "text": "The sea breached the coastal defences in a number of spots." }, { "text": "They are building up defences along the river." }, { "text": "defence against attacks from the north" }, { "text": "the body's natural defence against viruses" }, { "text": "They put up an effective defence against the guerrilla forces." }, { "text": "With her tears and angry accusations she completely overwhelmed his defences." }, { "text": "The initial attacks targeted the country's air defences." } ], "topics": ["War and conflict"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["effective", "strong", "coastal"], "verb + defence/defense": ["put up", "bolster", "improve"], "defence/defense + noun": ["mechanism"], "preposition": ["defence against"] } }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "the organization of the people and systems that are used by a government to protect a country from attack", "labels": "(British English)(US English)", "cefr": "b2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "the Ministry of Defence" }, { "text": "the Department of Defense" }, { "text": "Issues of national defence are a matter for the government." }, { "text": "Further cuts in defence spending are being considered." }, { "text": "Few analysts believe the defence budget is likely to increase significantly." }, { "text": "He was the youngest person ever to serve as U.S. Defense Secretary." }, { "text": "Robert McNamara was Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson." }, { "text": "The military alliance is the key to Australian foreign and defence policy." } ], "topics": ["War and conflict"], "collocations": { "defence/defense + noun": ["capability", "establishment", "force"] } }, { "senseNumber": 4, "definition": "something that is said or written in order to support something", "examples": [ { "text": "a defence of Marxism" } ] }, { "senseNumber": 5, "definition": "what is said in court to prove that a person did not commit a crime; the act of presenting this argument in court", "cefr": "c1", "examples": [ { "text": "Her defence was that she was somewhere completely different at the time of the crime." }, { "text": "He wanted to conduct his own defence." }, { "text": "The judge rejected her insanity defence." } ], "topics": ["Opinion and argument", "Law and justice"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["good", "robust", "solid"], "verb + defence/defense": ["conduct", "make", "mount"], "defence/defense + noun": ["attorney", "counsel", "lawyer"], "preposition": ["in somebody’s defence", "defence of", "defence to"], "phrases": ["counsel for the defence"] } }, { "senseNumber": 6, "definition": "the lawyer or lawyers whose job is to prove in court that a person did not commit a crime", "labels": "(US English also)", "cefr": "b2", "examples": [ { "text": "The defence is/are requesting more time to prepare its/their case." }, { "text": "the defence lawyer/counsel" }, { "text": "the defense attorney" }, { "text": "a witness for the defence" } ], "topics": ["Law and justice"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["good", "robust", "solid"], "verb + defence/defense": ["conduct", "make", "mount"], "defence/defense + noun": ["attorney", "counsel", "lawyer"], "preposition": ["in somebody’s defence", "defence of", "defence to"], "phrases": ["counsel for the defence"] } }, { "senseNumber": 7, "definition": "the players who must prevent the other team from scoring; the position of these players on the sports field", "sensetop": "in defenceon defense", "labels": "(British English)(North American English)", "cefr": "b2", "examples": [ { "text": "Welford cut through the defence to score the winning goal." }, { "text": "She plays in defence.", "contextForm": "in defence" }, { "text": "She plays on defense.", "contextForm": "on defense" } ], "topics": ["Sports: ball and racket sports"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["good", "solid", "staunch"], "verb + defence/defense": ["play", "put up", "destroy"], "preposition": ["in defence", "on defence"] } }, { "senseNumber": 8, "definition": "a contest, game, etc. in which the previous winner or winners compete in order to try to win again", "examples": [ { "text": "Barcelona’s defence of the Champions League title" } ] }, { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "to try to stop your opponent from scoring", "examples": [ { "text": "What they need is someone who can both score and play defense." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "to respond to what others do in order to protect what you already have rather than try to gain more", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "If you believe there will be shocks to the market, wouldn't you want a manager who can play defense?" } ] } ], "pronunciations": { "uk": [ { "pronunciation": "/dɪˈfens/", "audio": "de/defence/defence__gb_1.mp3" } ], "us": [ { "pronunciation": "/dɪˈfens/", "audio": "de/defence/defence__us_12.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/ˈdiːfens/", "audio": "de/defence/defense__us_3.mp3" } ] }, "wordOrigin": "Middle English: from Old French defens, from late Latin defensum (neuter), defensa (feminine), past participles of defendere ‘defend’." }