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self-defense

Syllabification: (self-de·fense)
Translate self-defense | into French | into Spanish
Definition of self-defense

noun

  • the defense of one’s person or interests, especially through the use of physical force, which is permitted in certain cases as an answer to a charge of violent crime:he claimed self-defense in the attempted murder charge [as modifier]:self-defense classes

Derivatives

self-defensive

adjective

self-defense in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of self-defense in the British & World English dictionary