defense mechanism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For Divon, Pallywood is less a conspiracy theory than a psychological defense mechanism.

From Slate • May 30, 2025

I think it’s sort of her defense mechanism — if I get there first, no one can get to it before me.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2024

Scientists believe that algae use bioluminescence as a defense mechanism — to scare off hungry sea creatures or call attention to their location, which draws the predators’ predators.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2024

"There is no other vegetable with a defense mechanism that if you attack it, it will spit sulfuric acid in your eyes."

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2024

We had created this idea of ourselves as a defense mechanism to survive in the world we were living in.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah