defeat

1 of 2

verb

de·feat di-ˈfēt How to pronounce defeat (audio)

dē-

defeated; defeating; defeats

transitive verb

: to win victory over : beat

defeated their archrivals in the championship game

The bill was defeated in the Senate.

: frustrate sense 2a(1)

defeat a hope

law : nullify

defeat an estate

obsolete : destroy

… his unkindness may defeat my life …

Shakespeare

defeatable

di-ˈfē-tə-bəl How to pronounce defeat (audio)

dē-

adjective

defeat

2 of 2

noun

: frustration by nullification or by prevention of success

The bill suffered defeat in the Senate.

: an overthrow especially of an army in battle

celebrate their defeat of the enemy

: the loss of a contest

his first defeat as a professional boxer

obsolete : destruction

… upon whose property and most dear life a damned defeat was made.

Shakespeare

Example Sentences

Verb We must be ready to defeat our enemies in battle. Our candidate defeated him in the last election. She finally found a solution to a problem that had defeated many other researchers. The bill was defeated in the state senate. Scientists from around the world are working to defeat the disease. Noun We weren't prepared for defeat. One small error could make the difference between success and defeat. After several tries we were forced to accept defeat. They celebrated their defeat of the enemy. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The Hoosiers looked shaky in their opener, needing a late rally to defeat Illinois on a last-minute touchdown.

Baltimore Sun, 9 Sep. 2022 That has long meant an alliance with the building trades, including unions that represent refinery and utility workers who would join forces to defeat certain kinds of climate legislation.

Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 8 Sep. 2022 The Zips rallied at home, 30-23 in overtime, in their opener to defeat Football Championship Subdivision opponent St. Francis (Pennsylvania) last Thursday.

Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 8 Sep. 2022 Last year, Southeastern was the only team to defeat both Harding and Ouachita.

Rex Nelson, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2022 But down that road lies more political trouble as politicians use courts, rather than elections, to defeat their opponents.

The Editorial Board, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 That year, Garcia supported civil engineer Tanya Patino in her unsuccessful campaign to defeat Burke on the Southwest Side.

Gregory Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 Tuesday’s event was aimed at Gen Z voters 25 and under, a key demographic that Democrats hope to turn out in November to defeat Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Steven Lemongello, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2022 Brother Martin placed five runners in the top 10 to overcome a resounding individual win by St. Paul’s Mac Conwell, last year’s individual Invitational Boys’ winner, to defeat the Saints 28-56.

Arthur L. Mack, al, 3 Sep. 2022

Noun

A year later, given the option to select his opponent in the first round of qualifying, the defeat was still fresh in Capps' mind.

Wilson Moore, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Sep. 2022 Game 6 defeat to the Mavericks would be Mitchell’s last game with the franchise, but his post-game interview gave even more reason to wonder.

Aaron Falk, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 Sep. 2022 The expeditious defeat of Putin is certainly a national-security priority for the United States, though it ...

Victoria Coates, National Review, 20 Aug. 2022 Wyoming defeat is a win for Trump and a decisive blow to the fading GOP establishment.

Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2022 That’s how thin the margin between victory and defeat can be.

Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 13 Aug. 2022 The legend goes the technique of opening bottles of bubbles with a weapon was used by Napoleon and his troops, whether in victory or defeat.

Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 Even small changes in the balance between the parties can make the difference between victory and defeat in the next election, and compromises can reduce the enthusiasm of each party’s base.

William A. Galston, WSJ, 26 July 2022 The resounding defeat of Richard Irvin, a Republican candidate for governor who had $50 million from billionaire Ken Griffin in his campaign pocketbook, is just one example.

Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English defeten, defaiten "to ruin, destroy, nullify," in part verbal derivative of defet "disfigured, null and void (in law)," borrowed from Anglo-French defait, defet, desfet, past participle of defaire, desfaire "to undo, put an end to, destroy, nullify," from de-, des- de- + faire "to do, make," going back to Latin facere; in part borrowed from Anglo-French defeter, derivative of defet — more at fact

Noun

in part noun derivative of defeat entry 1, in part borrowed from Middle French defaite, noun derivative from feminine of defait, past participle of defaire, desfaire "to undo, destroy, kill" — more at defeat entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

defeat

transitive verb

de·feat

: to render null

third parties will defeat an attached but “unperfected” security interest

J. J. White and R. S. Summers

: to prevent or undo the effectiveness or establishment of

defeat jurisdiction

defendant took stand and defeated intoxication defense

National Law Journal

: to prevail over

: to thwart the claim of

defeat creditors

an intent to defeat the surviving spouse of his…elective share

Tennessee Code Annotated

单词	defeating
释义	defeat 1 of 2 verb de·feat di-ˈfēt dē- defeated; defeating; defeats transitive verb 1 : to win victory over : beat defeated their archrivals in the championship game The bill was defeated in the Senate. 2 a : frustrate sense 2a(1) defeat a hope b law : nullify defeat an estate 3 obsolete : destroy … his unkindness may defeat my life … Shakespeare defeatable di-ˈfē-tə-bəl dē- adjective defeat 2 of 2 noun 1 : frustration by nullification or by prevention of success The bill suffered defeat in the Senate. 2 a : an overthrow especially of an army in battle celebrate their defeat of the enemy b : the loss of a contest his first defeat as a professional boxer 3 obsolete : destruction … upon whose property and most dear life a damned defeat was made. Shakespeare Synonyms Verb beat best conquer dispatch do down [British] get get around lick master overbear overcome overmatch prevail (over) skunk stop subdue surmount take trim triumph (over) upend win (against) worst Noun beating drubbing licking loss lump overthrow plastering rout shellacking trimming trouncing whipping See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Verb We must be ready to defeat our enemies in battle. Our candidate defeated him in the last election. She finally found a solution to a problem that had defeated many other researchers. The bill was defeated in the state senate. Scientists from around the world are working to defeat the disease. Noun We weren't prepared for defeat. One small error could make the difference between success and defeat. After several tries we were forced to accept defeat. They celebrated their defeat of the enemy. See More Recent Examples on the Web Verb The Hoosiers looked shaky in their opener, needing a late rally to defeat Illinois on a last-minute touchdown. Baltimore Sun, 9 Sep. 2022 That has long meant an alliance with the building trades, including unions that represent refinery and utility workers who would join forces to defeat certain kinds of climate legislation. Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 8 Sep. 2022 The Zips rallied at home, 30-23 in overtime, in their opener to defeat Football Championship Subdivision opponent St. Francis (Pennsylvania) last Thursday. Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 8 Sep. 2022 Last year, Southeastern was the only team to defeat both Harding and Ouachita. Rex Nelson, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2022 But down that road lies more political trouble as politicians use courts, rather than elections, to defeat their opponents. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 That year, Garcia supported civil engineer Tanya Patino in her unsuccessful campaign to defeat Burke on the Southwest Side. Gregory Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 Tuesday’s event was aimed at Gen Z voters 25 and under, a key demographic that Democrats hope to turn out in November to defeat Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Steven Lemongello, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2022 Brother Martin placed five runners in the top 10 to overcome a resounding individual win by St. Paul’s Mac Conwell, last year’s individual Invitational Boys’ winner, to defeat the Saints 28-56. Arthur L. Mack, al, 3 Sep. 2022 Noun A year later, given the option to select his opponent in the first round of qualifying, the defeat was still fresh in Capps' mind. Wilson Moore, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Sep. 2022 Game 6 defeat to the Mavericks would be Mitchell’s last game with the franchise, but his post-game interview gave even more reason to wonder. Aaron Falk, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 Sep. 2022 The expeditious defeat of Putin is certainly a national-security priority for the United States, though it ... Victoria Coates, National Review, 20 Aug. 2022 Wyoming defeat is a win for Trump and a decisive blow to the fading GOP establishment. Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2022 That’s how thin the margin between victory and defeat can be. Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 13 Aug. 2022 The legend goes the technique of opening bottles of bubbles with a weapon was used by Napoleon and his troops, whether in victory or defeat. Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 Even small changes in the balance between the parties can make the difference between victory and defeat in the next election, and compromises can reduce the enthusiasm of each party’s base. William A. Galston, WSJ, 26 July 2022 The resounding defeat of Richard Irvin, a Republican candidate for governor who had $50 million from billionaire Ken Griffin in his campaign pocketbook, is just one example. Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Verb Middle English defeten, defaiten "to ruin, destroy, nullify," in part verbal derivative of defet "disfigured, null and void (in law)," borrowed from Anglo-French defait, defet, desfet, past participle of defaire, desfaire "to undo, put an end to, destroy, nullify," from de-, des- de- + faire "to do, make," going back to Latin facere; in part borrowed from Anglo-French defeter, derivative of defet — more at fact Noun in part noun derivative of defeat entry 1, in part borrowed from Middle French defaite, noun derivative from feminine of defait, past participle of defaire, desfaire "to undo, destroy, kill" — more at defeat entry 1 First Known Use Verb 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3 Noun 1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing defeat defeat the purpose of concede defeat in defeat go down to defeat the jaws of defeat admit defeat defeat the purpose of concede defeat in defeat go down to defeat the jaws of defeat admit defeat Kids Definition defeat 1 of 2 verb de·feat di-ˈfēt defeated; defeating 1 : to win victory over The champs defeated their rivals handily. 2 : to cause to fail or be destroyed The bill was defeated in Congress. defeat 2 of 2 noun : loss of a contest or battle Legal Definition defeat transitive verb de·feat 1 a : to render null third parties will defeat an attached but “unperfected” security interest J. J. White and R. S. Summers b : to prevent or undo the effectiveness or establishment of defeat jurisdiction defendant took stand and defeated intoxication defense National Law Journal 2 a : to prevail over b : to thwart the claim of defeat creditors an intent to defeat the surviving spouse of his…elective share Tennessee Code Annotated History and Etymology for defeat Anglo-French defait, past participle of defaire to undo, defeat, from Old French deffaire desfaire, from de-, prefix marking reversal of action + faire to do defeating verb present participle of defeat as in overcoming to achieve a victory over they defeated their archrivals easily and moved into the next round of the play-offs Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance overcoming mastering beating conquering dispatching getting stopping subduing taking surmounting succeeding besting overmatching upending licking trimming overbearing finishing burying getting around crushing doing down skunking sweeping overwhelming surpassing slaughtering annihilating vanquishing worsting scoring exceeding upsetting trouncing triumphing (over) getting the better of clobbering knocking for a loop capping winning (against) overthrowing subjugating prevailing (over) routing excelling bombing flattening thrashing whipping unseating drubbing overpowering topping flourishing pipping walloping transcending excelling outdoing breaking outshining blowing out creaming outdistancing smoking eclipsing shellacking bettering blowing away skinning waxing outstripping outfighting knocking over nosing out snowing under overtopping knocking off edging (out) acing (out) Antonyms & Near Antonyms losing (to) falling failing collapsing folding flunking flopping washing out going down going under giving up See More
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defeat

verb

noun

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing defeat

Kids Definition

verb

noun

Legal Definition

transitive verb

verb