defeat

1 of 2

verb

de·​feat di-ˈfēt How to pronounce defeat (audio)
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 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
Choose the Right Synonym for defeat

conquer, vanquish, defeat, subdue, reduce, overcome, overthrow mean to get the better of by force or strategy.

conquer implies gaining mastery of.

Caesar conquered Gaul

vanquish implies a complete overpowering.

vanquished the enemy and ended the war

defeat does not imply the finality or completeness of vanquish which it otherwise equals.

the Confederates defeated the Union forces at Manassas

subdue implies a defeating and suppression.

subdued the native tribes after years of fighting

reduce implies a forcing to capitulate or surrender.

the city was reduced after a month-long siege

overcome suggests getting the better of with difficulty or after hard struggle.

overcame a host of bureaucratic roadblocks

overthrow stresses the bringing down or destruction of existing power.

violently overthrew the old regime

Examples of defeat in a Sentence

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In this game, each basket is worth 1 point and the freshman class defeats the sophomore class 5-4. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 The University of Washington’s underdog crew team defeats elite rowers to face Hitler’s German athletes in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 And over in the Soft Baits region, another 7 seed (the underdog Worm) defeated the 2-seed Jerkbait. Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2024 Moreno defeated two high-profile candidates in the GOP primary, which was widely seen as a free-for-all before Trump got involved on behalf of Moreno. Rick Klein, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 Kulkarni defeated Horlander again in a rematch two years later, racking up about 78% of the vote. The Courier-Journal, 19 Mar. 2024 The last couple of months, Tatum has felt defeated at times. Journal Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2024 Southern Utah commit helped the Wolves defeat Carondelet twice, and helped SRV advance to the North Coast Section title game. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 There are a variety of parallels, ranging from complaints that British elites were conspiring with the American liberal establishment to drag Washington’s unnecessary war to claims that [British Prime Minister Winston] Churchill and co. were doomed to defeat against the Third Reich. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
Following the surprise defeats suffered by No. 3 seed Kentucky and No. 8 seed Mississippi State, less than 1% of all brackets remain intact. Ben Morse, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 The Security Council defeat was especially stinging for the Biden administration. Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Fairfield City School District School busing will end for thousands of students in Fairfield and Fairfield Township following the defeat of the 6.9-mill operating levy. Sue Kiesewetter, The Enquirer, 20 Mar. 2024 Hitler and Goebbels, of course, died by their own hands in defeat, having left tens of millions of Europeans dead and their country in ruins. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 That’s because of three Quad 4 losses, two in the nonconference and a stunning 32-point home defeat against Air Force on Jan. 23. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024 Here, in this claustrophobic environment, a young man regularly subjects himself to humiliating defeats. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 Rozier closed the defeat with 27 points, six rebounds and 11 assists. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The results, announced on Saturday, were an unexpected defeat for equality campaigners and for Leo Varadkar, the taoiseach, or prime minister. Megan Specia, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defeat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of defeat was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near defeat

Cite this Entry

“Defeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defeat. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

defeat

1 of 2 verb
de·​feat di-ˈfēt How to pronounce defeat (audio)
1
: to destroy the value or effect of
the lawyers defeated the will
2
: to win a victory over
defeated their team
defeatable adjective

defeat

2 of 2 noun
1
: the act or an instance of making ineffective by prevention of success
the bill suffered defeat by Congress
the defeat of one's hopes
2
a
: an overthrow of an army in battle
b
: loss of a contest (as by a team)

Legal Definition

defeat

transitive verb
de·​feat
1
a
: to render null
third parties will defeat an attached but “unperfected” security interestJ. J. White and R. S. Summers
b
: to prevent or undo the effectiveness or establishment of
defeat jurisdiction
defendant took stand and defeated intoxication defenseNational 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 shareTennessee Code Annotated
defeat noun
Etymology

Transitive verb

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

More from Merriam-Webster on defeat

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