défense
French, noun/de.fɑ̃s/
défense is spelled D-É-F-E-N-S-E (7 letters) and appears 93 times per million words in written French, the 902nd most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Défense is a French feminine noun meaning “defence (action of defending or protecting from attack, danger or injury, or any means for that purpose)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Action de défendre, de se défendre”.
What does défense mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininedefence (action of defending or protecting from attack, danger or injury, or any means for that purpose)
- 2
femininedefence
- 3
femininedefence
- 4
feminineprohibition (often on signs informing onlookers that an activity is forbidden)
défense de fumer
- 5
femininefender
- 6
femininetusk (of animal)
une défense d'éléphant de 2,8 kilos
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Action de défendre, de se défendre. 2. Action ou manière de défendre une place, un poste, etc., de s’y défendre. 3. Gestion de l’armée et de la marine. 4. Fortifications, ce qui sert à garantir, à couvrir une place.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of défense
- défenses plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce défense?
- /de.fɑ̃s/
- \de.fɑ̃s\
- [de.fɑ̃s]
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to défense
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is défense in French?
défense appears 93 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).