defensive

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.

The two sides have exchanged drone and missile fire, though each has characterized the actions as limited and defensive rather than a collapse of the truce.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

But with the Cleveland Browns, the five-time All-Pro defensive end never came close to reaching the Super Bowl.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

In the year that followed, the tech index shed 60% of its value, while humiliated defensive names staged a massive comeback, with utilities and consumer staples gaining 25% and 24%, respectively.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

Before her disappearance, Casias, 53, worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where leading defensive nuclear research is conducted and where the world's first atomic weapons were developed during World War II.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

The 586th, whose Yak fighters were stationed in western Ukraine until September 1944, had a creepy and sobering experience between defensive flights during the hot summer.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein