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

Together, the findings reveal a previously unknown natural defense mechanism within the human body.

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

A stingray’s defense mechanism is to camouflage itself on top of the ocean floor’s sand or buried under it.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025

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

From Slate • May 30, 2025

We had created this idea of ourselves as a defense mechanism to survive in the world we were living in.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah