on defense
idiom
sports
: on the part of a team that defends the goal
She began the season on defense, but her coach later put her on offense.
Examples of on defense in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Panthers also have several needs on defense.
—
Joseph Person, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Tackling improves in the open field As good as the Seahawks have been on defense, tackling has been literally hit or miss.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is playing the best football of his NFL career, but the Seahawks ranked first in EPA per rush this season on defense.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
Anand cited deepening ties on defense, security, climate change, economic resilience and Arctic co-operation.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for on defense
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joseph Person, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Tackling improves in the open field As good as the Seahawks have been on defense, tackling has been literally hit or miss.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is playing the best football of his NFL career, but the Seahawks ranked first in EPA per rush this season on defense.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 8 Feb. 2026
Anand cited deepening ties on defense, security, climate change, economic resilience and Arctic co-operation.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for on defense
Cite this Entry
“On defense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20defense. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
