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Accused vs Defense - What's the difference?

accused | defense |

As nouns the difference between accused and defense

is that accused is (legal) the person charged with an offense; the defendant in a criminal case while defense is defence (action of defending or protecting from attack, danger or injury, or any means for that purpose).

As a verb accused

is (accuse).

As an adjective accused

is having been accused; being the target of accusations.

accused

English

Verb

(head)
  • (accuse)

    • Noun

    (accused)
  • (legal) The person charged with an offense; the defendant in a criminal case.

    • Usage notes

    * (noun) Preceded by the word the .

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Having been accused; being the target of accusations.
  • * 1883 , Charlotte Mary Yonge, Landmarks of Recent History, 1770-1883 , Walter Smith (publisher), pages 11–12:
    • This power chiefly fell to the queen, and she was more accused than ever of too much leaning towards her own country;
  • * 1891 , Charles Grant Robertson, Caesar Borgia: The Stanhope Essay for 1891 , B.H. Blackwell, pages 8–9:
    • Naples had an almost stronger preference for the interposition of Spain, while the great republic of Venice in the eyes of Italy stood accused of aspiring to bring the whole peninsula under its sway,
  • * 2007 , Patricia Love and Steven Stosny, How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking about It: Finding Love Beyond Words , Random House, ISBN 9780767923170, page 188:
    • If she felt unimportant, you showed her that she was important to you. If she felt accused , you reassured her. If she felt guilty, you helped her feel better.

    Anagrams

    *

    defense

    English

    Alternative forms

    * defence (British)

    Noun

  • (en noun) (US)
  • The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.
  • Anything employed to oppose attack(s).
  • # A strategy and tactics employed to prevent the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.
  • # The portion of a team dedicated to preventing the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.
  • An argument in support or justification of something.
  • Government policy or (infra)structure related to the military.
    • Department of Defense
  • Prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.
  • * Sir W. Temple
    • Severe defenses against wearing any linen under a certain breadth.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * offense

    Derived terms

    * antidefense * ecodefense * Nuremberg defense * defensive * defensiveness * defensive scheme * defensive system