1.
offense and defense (in sports); both attacking and defensive aspects of play
A short Sino-Japanese compound covering both halves of competitive play. Frequently used in baseball, soccer, basketball, and other sports to talk about a team or player who must handle both roles.
2.
attack and defense (figurative); both sides of a contest or argument
Used metaphorically for any situation involving alternating attack and defense — a debate, a court case, a business negotiation, or a strategic struggle.
In the trial, the attacking and defending positions of the defense and the prosecution shifted intensely.
Composed of 攻 ('attack') + 守 ('defense'). The two-character compound is a tightly bound noun, almost always used as a unit rather than split into its parts.
Usage
- Sense 1 dominates in sports commentary, where 攻守交代 ('switching offense and defense') and 攻守に優れる ('to excel at both attack and defense') are stock phrases.
- Sense 2 is common in journalism, politics, and law, especially in the idiom 攻守所を変える ('the attacker and defender swap positions').
- Belongs to a slightly formal register; in casual sports talk, speakers often use the loanwords オフェンス and ディフェンス instead.
Common collocations
- 攻守交代: switching offense and defense (e.g., between innings)
- 攻守に優れる: to excel at both offense and defense
- 攻守両面: both offense and defense; both aspects
- 攻守所を変える: roles of attack and defense reverse
- 攻守が逆転する: the offense and defense reverse
- 攻守兼備: combining offense and defense (set phrase)
Similar words
- 攻撃: attack; offense — focuses only on the attacking side; not a paired concept.
- 防御: defense; protection — the defensive side alone; commonly paired with 攻撃.
- 守備: defense; fielding (in baseball) — narrower than 攻守; emphasizes the act of guarding.
- オフェンスとディフェンス: offense and defense — modern loanword pair, often used in basketball, soccer, and American football commentary.