to overcome in a contest, election, battle, etc.; prevail over; vanquish: They defeated the enemy. She defeated her brother at tennis.
to frustrate; thwart.
to eliminate or deprive of something expected: The early returns defeated his hopes of election.
Law. to annul.
noun
the act of overcoming in a contest: an overwhelming defeat of all opposition.
an instance of defeat; setback: He considered his defeat a personal affront.
an overthrow or overturning; vanquishment: the defeat of a government.
a bringing to naught; frustration: the defeat of all his hopes and dreams.
the act or event of being bested; losing: Defeat is not something she abides easily.
Archaic. undoing; destruction; ruin.
Origin of defeat
1325–75; Middle English defeten (v.) <Anglo-French, Old French desfait, past participle of desfaire to undo, destroy <Medieval Latin disfacere, equivalent to Latin dis-dis-1 + facere to do
SYNONYMS FOR defeat
1 overwhelm, overthrow, rout, check.
2 foil, baffle, balk.
7 downfall.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR defeat ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for defeat
1. Defeat,conquer,overcome,subdue imply gaining a victory or control over an opponent. Defeat suggests beating or frustrating: to defeat an enemy in battle.Conquer implies finally gaining control over, usually after a series of efforts or against systematic resistance: to conquer a country, one's inclinations.Overcome emphasizes surmounting difficulties in prevailing over an antagonist: to overcome opposition, bad habits.Subdue means to conquer so completely that resistance is broken: to subdue a rebellious spirit.
During the first debate, the president waffled on whether he would concede defeat, falling back on his go-to line about the fraudulent — and unfounded — dangers of mail voting.
A Contested 2020 Election Would Be Way Worse Than Bush v. Gore|Clare Malone (clare.malone@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 9, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
If you’ve forgotten the details, Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 that it had installed “defeat devices” in millions of its diesel-powered cars.
5 years in, damages from the VW emissions cheating scandal are still rolling in|Geoffrey Colvin|October 6, 2020|Fortune
“Progressive may win Newt Gingrich’s seat, handing Trumpism a major defeat,” was the headline on the article by Larry Rubin, a contributor to People’s World.
GOP senator falsely claims opponent was endorsed by Communist Party|Glenn Kessler|October 6, 2020|Washington Post
Yet, as the votes were counted and Macron was declared the winner, Le Pen conceded defeat, allowing for a peaceful transition.
Election Violence In November? Here’s What The Research Says|LGBTQ-Editor|October 2, 2020|No Straight News
The closed-door negotiations between Pelosi and Mnuchin stood in contrast to public finger-pointing by both sides Thursday that appeared almost to forecast defeat and preemptively assign blame.
House Democrats pass $2.2 trillion stimulus bill over GOP opposition; bipartisan talks continue|Erica Werner, Jeff Stein|October 2, 2020|Washington Post
The citizens of Stevens Point defeated fluoridation by a healthy margin.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
And yet Dempsey and others have repeatedly said ISIS cannot be defeated militarily.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Many parents have been defeated in their efforts to get help from child welfare departments.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The West is packing up, victorious in battle but defeated in war.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The notion of anarchy so appalled the conservative Reagan, he came out against Briggs, and it was defeated.
Gay Activist David Mixner: I Mercy Killed 8 People|Tim Teeman|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An expedition was fitted out, and sent against the Earl of Caithness, who was defeated and slain.
History of Civilization in England, Vol. 3 of 3|Henry Thomas Buckle
In a day or two the defeated aspirant had further cause to curse his false friend.
The heart of happy hollow|Paul Laurence Dunbar
Again he acknowledged, and again they were defeated in finding, and the same reason given as before.
The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 3 of 4|American Anti-Slavery Society
On seeking re-election in York, he declined to give any pledge on the burning question of the Clergy Reserves and was defeated.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2|Various
They had met and defeated a slimy, vicious enemy that had done its best to drag them down, and their spirits lifted accordingly.
The Lost Wagon|James Arthur Kjelgaard
British Dictionary definitions for defeat
defeat
/ (dɪˈfiːt) /
verb(tr)
to overcome in a contest or competition; win a victory over
to thwart or frustratethis accident has defeated all his hopes of winning
lawto render null and void; annul
noun
the act of defeating or state of being defeated
an instance of defeat
overthrow or destruction
lawan annulment
Derived forms of defeat
defeater, noun
Word Origin for defeat
C14: from Old French desfait, from desfaire to undo, ruin, from des-dis-1 + faire to do, from Latin facere