on the defensive meaning

[American slang]
weary and ready to defend oneself.
   John goes on the defensive when his athletic ability is questioned.
  The child was on the defensive when questioned about cheating.

Examples

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1. animal agriculture was on the defensive.
2. it put the enthusiasts for progressive methods on the defensive.
3. he was on the defensive at a wink and puzzled for a word to reply.
4. a security council meeting was likely to generate rhetoric that put us on the defensive.
5. hitler realized that by remaining on the defensive he was merely postponing the hour of reckoning.