defyverb [ T ]
uk/dɪˈfaɪ/us/dɪˈfaɪ/C2 to refuse to obey a person, decision, law, situation, etc.:
It is rare to see children openly defying their teachers.
A few workers have defied the majority decision and gone into work despite the strike.
The fact that aircraft don't fall out of the sky always seems to me to defy (= act against) the law of gravity.
A forest fire raging in southern California is defying (= is not changed by) all attempts to control it.
defy belief/description/explanation
C2 to be extreme or very strange and therefore impossible to believe, describe, or explain:
The chaos at the airport defies description.
defy sb to do sth
to tell someone to do something that you think will be impossible:
I defy you to prove your accusations.
I defy you to tell where I've painted over the scratch on my car.
More examples
- The mess in Bart's room defies description!
- His remarkable recovery defied all medical augury.
- In 1970 he defied the three-line whip against EC membership.
- They defied convention by giving up their jobs and becoming self-sufficient.
- Tom Cruise has performed his own stunts for Mission Impossible 2, defying warnings from professionals.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Refusing & rejecting
- abnegate
- blow
- bugger
- damned
- demur
- derecognize
- disclaim
- door
- override
- react against sth
- refusal
- shoot
- shun
- sit
- sit sth out
- throw
- throw sth out
- turn sb away
- vote sth down
- wash
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Opposing & against
Preventing and impeding
Giving orders & commands