nondefense

adjective

non·​de·​fense ˌnän-di-ˈfen(t)s How to pronounce nondefense (audio)
: not related to or used for a nation's military defenses
nondefense spending
nondefense businesses/industries

Examples of nondefense in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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That means, for the most part, cuts to what wonks call the nondefense discretionary budget—domestic spending, in other words—which accounts for about $750 billion of the roughly $6 trillion federal budget. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 30 Jan. 2023 But nondefense discretionary spending has been bloated by the pandemic, and much of what had been discretionary spending is now mandatory because of legislative action by Democrats in Congress. Phil Gramm, WSJ, 7 Dec. 2022 Despite the unexpected decline, the April report also contained hopeful signs: A category that tracks business investment — orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft — increased 2.3% last month on top of a 1.6% gain in March. Paul Wiseman, Star Tribune, 27 May 2021 See All Example Sentences for nondefense

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nondefense was in 1961

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Cite this Entry

“Nondefense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nondefense. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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