Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense defies, present participle defying, past tense, past participle defied
1. verb
If you defy someone or something that is trying to make you behave in a particular way, you refuse to obey them and behave in that way.
This was the first (and last) time that I dared to defy my mother. [VERB noun]
Nearly eleven-thousand people have been arrested for defying the ban on street trading. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: resist, oppose, confront, face More Synonyms of defy
2. verb
If you defy someone to do something, you challenge them to do it when you think that they will be unable to do it or too frightened to do it.
I defy you to read this book and not feel motivated to change. [VERB noun to-infinitive]
He looked at me as if he was defying me to argue. [VERB noun to-infinitive]
3. verb [no passive, no cont]
If something defies description or understanding, it is so strange, extreme, or surprising that it is almost impossible to understand or explain.
The skill of the craftsman who made it defies description. [VERB noun]
It's a devastating and barbaric act that defies all comprehension. [VERB noun]
4.
See defy one's age / the years
More Synonyms of defy
defy in British English
(dɪˈfaɪ)
verbWord forms: -fies, -fying or -fied(transitive)
1.
to resist (a powerful person, authority, etc) openly and boldly
2.
to elude, esp in a baffling way
his actions defy explanation
3. formal
to challenge or provoke (someone to do something judged to be impossible); dare
I defy you to climb that cliff
4. archaic
to invite to do battle or combat
Derived forms
defier (deˈfier)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French desfier, from des-de- + fier to trust, from Latin fīdere
defy in American English
(diˈfaɪ; dɪˈfaɪ; also, for n., ˈdifaɪ)
verb transitiveWord forms: deˈfied or deˈfying
1.
to resist or oppose boldly or openly
2.
to resist completely in a baffling way
the puzzle defied solution
3.
to dare (someone) to do or prove something
4. Archaic
to challenge (someone) to fight
nounWord forms: pluralˈdefies
5.
a defiance or challenge
Word origin
ME defien < OFr defier, to distrust, repudiate, defy < LL *disfidare < dis-, from + *fidare, to trust < fidus, faithful: see faith
Examples of 'defy' in a sentence
defy
The few who have escaped recount tales of such torment that they almost defy the imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Will he defy the ban on smoking in public?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Viewers see all sorts of nonsensical things on screen that defy meaning or explanation.
Christianity Today (2000)
These are all exceptional people and what they put their bodies through defies description.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The facts of the case are so exceptional as almost to defy belief.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Those who defy the ban face heavy fines or imprisonment.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This is a house which almost defies explanation.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There is something raw and pure about the desert that defies description.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Looking at these photographs almost defies belief.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
There are some passages of play that defy explanation and this was one.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
There is something about choral singing that defies definition and description.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It almost defies belief that he can survive crisis after crisis.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Football is a game that can defy explanation by stats alone.
The Sun (2008)
The skill of the craftsman who made it defies description.
Francis Pryor BRITAIN BC: Life In Britain and Ireland before the Romans (2003)
The pain you have caused me defies description.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
So now there is a shop that truly defies description.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It is said they are not being charged for defying the driving ban but for opinions voiced online.
The Sun (2014)
It almost defies belief that no credible new leader has emerged to take advantage of the tottering pharaoh.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Only if the same association is shown by others and defies simple explanation should it be taken seriously.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
They defy test bans and sanctions.
The Sun (2016)
Our players should defy the ban.
The Sun (2011)
What happened next almost defies imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The victory defied all logical explanation.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He could almost defy his heart.
Elizabeth Gaskell North and South (1855)
Some serving troops in civilian clothes defied an MoD ban to attend.
The Sun (2015)
In other languages
defy
British English: defy VERB
If you defy someone or something that is trying to make you behave in a particular way, you refuse to obey them and behave in that way.
This was the first (and last) time that I dared to defy my mother.
American English: defy
Brazilian Portuguese: desafiar
Chinese: 违抗
European Spanish: desobedecer
French: défier
German: sich widersetzen
Italian: sfidare
Japanese: 反抗する
Korean: 반항하다
European Portuguese: desafiar
Latin American Spanish: desobedecer
All related terms of 'defy'
defy belief
Belief is a feeling of certainty that something exists, is true, or is good.
defy the law
The law is a system of rules that a society or government develops in order to deal with crime , business agreements , and social relationships . You can also use the law to refer to the people who work in this system.
defy description
A description of someone or something is an account which explains what they are or what they look like.
defy expectations
Your expectations are your strong hopes or beliefs that something will happen or that you will get something that you want .
defy explanation
If you say there is an explanation for something, you mean that there is a reason for it.
defy imagination
Your imagination is the ability that you have to form pictures or ideas in your mind of things that are new and exciting , or things that you have not experienced.
defy one's age / the years
If you say that someone defies their age , or defies the years , you mean that their appearance or behaviour suggests that they are younger than they really are.
Chinese translation of 'defy'
defy
(dɪˈfaɪ)
vt
(= refuse to obey)
[person]公然反抗 (gōngrán fǎnkàng)
[law, ban]蔑视(視) (mièshì)
[description, comprehension]使不能 (shǐ bùnéng)
to defy sb to do sth (= dare) 看某人敢不敢做某事 (kàn mǒurén gǎn bù gǎn zuò mǒushì)
1 (verb)
Definition
to resist openly and boldly
This was the first time that I had dared to defy her.
Synonyms
resist
They resisted our attempts to modernize distribution.
oppose
Mr Taylor was bitter towards those who had opposed him.
confront
She pushed her way through the mob and confronted him face to face.
face
She looked relaxed and calm as she faced the press.
brave
They had to brave her anger and confess.
beard
disregard
stand up to
spurn
a spurned lover
flout
illegal campers who persist in flouting the law
disobey
He disobeyed his parents so much when he was a child.
hold out against
put up a fight (against)
hurl defiance at
contemn
call someone's bluff
2 (verb)
Definition
to challenge (someone to do something)
He defied me to come up with a better idea.
Synonyms
challenge
He left a note at the crime scene, challenging detectives to catch him.
dare
She dared me to skip class.
provoke
throw down the gauntlet
3 (verb)
Definition
to elude in a baffling way
a fragrance that defies description
Synonyms
foil
A brave police chief foiled an armed robbery.
defeat
The challenges of constructing such a huge novel almost defeated her.
escape
an actor whose name escapes me for the moment
frustrate
The government has deliberately frustrated his efforts.
be beyond
baffle
thwart
They were doing all they could to thwart the opposition.
elude
The appropriate word eluded him.
confound
For many years medical scientists were confounded by these seemingly contradictory facts.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of baffle
Synonyms
frustrate,
check,
defeat,
upset,
foil,
thwart,
hinder,
balk
in the sense of brave
Definition
to confront with resolution or courage
They had to brave her anger and confess.
Synonyms
confront,
face,
suffer,
challenge,
bear,
tackle,
dare,
endure,
defy,
withstand,
stand up to
in the sense of confound
Definition
to astound or bewilder
For many years medical scientists were confounded by these seemingly contradictory facts.