The Collaborative International Dictionary
Defensive \De*fen"sive\, n. That which defends; a safeguard.
Wars preventive, upon just fears, are true defensives.
--Bacon.
To be on the defensive, To stand on the defensive, to be or stand in a state or posture of defense or resistance, in opposition to aggression or attack.
Usage examples of "to be on the defensive".
All night long he would have to be on the defensive against beings whose nervous systems outmatched his in every function except, possibly, intelligence.
Felt my eyebrows rise at that, especially since we seemed to be on the defensive nearly everywhere else in the galaxy.
The girl seemed to be on the defensive but was holding her ground.
He'd expected to be on the defensive but found himself as much the aggressor as his opponent, with a dexterity he hadn't known he possessed.
She fumed through glittering eyes and raged against the fates that made it necessary for her to be on the defensive.
However, since the Dutch are not going to be receiving reinforcements from home any time soon, they are likely to be on the defensive, and low in morale.
It was a novel experience to be the mouse instead of the cat, to be on the defensive instead of the offensive, to wait anxiously for the moon to rise instead of hurrying to the attack while darkness endured.