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.

A stingray’s defense mechanism is to camouflage itself on top of the ocean floor’s sand or buried under it.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025

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

"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