A defendant’s or respondent’s rebuttal to allegations made by the plaintiff or claimant, typically asserted in an answer or response to a complaint or claim.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
defense (noun)1.
a) the act or action of - defending the defense of our country speak out in defense of justice
b) a defendant's denial, answer, or plea
2.
a) capability of resisting attack
b) play or ability - defensive a player known for good defense
3.
a) means or method of defending or protecting oneself, one's team, or another , also a defensive structure
b) an argument in support or justification
c) the collected facts and method adopted by a to protect and against a plaintiff's action - defendant defend
d) a sequence of moves available in chess to the second player in the opening
4.
a) a defending party or group (as in a court of law) - the defense rests
b) a defensive team
5.
the military and industrial aggregate that authorizes and supervises arms production - appropriations for defense defense contract
transitive verb
to take specific action against (an opposing team or player or an offensive play) - defensive
