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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2025

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

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids likely first evolved as a defense mechanism in plants, which then became a commodity for moths.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024

It just about shattered every defense mechanism and every pretext I had against going to school.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane