self-defense

Noun

self-defense (usually uncountable, plural self-defenses)

1. (usually) The means of defending oneself from physical attack.
   • Nearly all the women are wearing a hijab, one of the reasons they’re in this self-defense class in Antioch, Tennessee, a community nestled next to Nashville. For three hours, these Muslim women learn Krav Maga and Brazilian jiu-jitsu defense moves, including kicks, punches and elbow strikes that...2016 February 18, Kyung Lah, “Fearing attacks, Muslim women learn self-defense”, in CNN, archived from the original on 12 Apr 2021
2. (usually) The right to protect oneself against violence by using reasonable force, which can be used as justification in several charges including murder, assault, and battery.
   • The case inspired widespread rallies and “Million Hoodie Marches” in early 2012, after Sanford, Fla., police refused to charge Zimmerman with a crime, saying they couldn’t counter his self-defense claim. A special state prosecutor indicted him 44 days later. The trial began June 10.2013 July 10, Patrik Jonsson, “George Zimmerman speaks, but won’t testify in his defense”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 23 Jan 2025