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.
Experts say rattlesnakes typically don’t bite unless they feel threatened and use their bite as a defense mechanism.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
For Divon, Pallywood is less a conspiracy theory than a psychological defense mechanism.
From Slate • May 30, 2025
“I’m ready to take care of business, as a defense mechanism, because it’s gotten to the point where you have to take some responsibility for your own safety.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2024
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids likely first evolved as a defense mechanism in plants, which then became a commodity for moths.
From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024
The therapist Mark and Linda made him see had called it a defense mechanism, and Joaquin thought that sounded exactly like something that someone who never needed a defense mechanism would say.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
