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Definition of "defilade" [de•fi•lade]

  • To arrange (fortifications) in such a way as to give protection from enfilading and other fire. (verb-transitive)
  • The act or procedure of defilading. (noun)
  • A fortified position offering protection from enfilading and other fire. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "defilade" in a sentence
  • "And, again, quite prominent pieces of terrain where you can have good what's called defilade fire but you have to be very careful about being isolated."
  • "I backed my way across the river with rifle leveled and took up a defilade and waited ..."
  • "I will tell you now that I shot only once in my military career, and that in so doing I murdered the woolen hat of my sergeant which he had lost leaping into a nearby defilade."