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

Instead, seno-differentiation appears to serve as a stress-triggered defense mechanism that removes damaged stem cells before they can become harmful.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2025

For Divon, Pallywood is less a conspiracy theory than a psychological defense mechanism.

From Slate • May 30, 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

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

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane