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

Maybe that’s shock or some sort defense mechanism, or shutting down.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2025

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