defile

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verb de·file \ di-ˈfī(-ə)l , dē- \

Definition of defile

defiled; defiling

transitive verb

:to make unclean or impure: such as

a :to corrupt the purity or perfection of :debase

the countryside defiled by billboards

b :to violate the chastity or virginity of :deflower

c :to make physically unclean especially with something unpleasant or contaminating

boots defiled with blood

… I had never allowed anyone to smoke in the truck. Drunk as I was, I knew that I was betraying something by allowing him to defile the truck's interior.
—Patrick Moore

d :to violate the sanctity of :desecrate

defile a sanctuary

went to jail for costuming themselves in the American flag and thus defiling it
—James R. Gaines

e :sully, dishonor

defile his reputation

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defilement

play \-ˈfī(-ə)l-mənt\ noun

—

defiler

play \-ˈfī-lər\ noun

defile was our Word of the Day on 04/05/2017. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of defile from the Web

For the past decade, seeing women who look like me — Asian women — in sexual contexts has meant seeing women who look like me being abused, dominated, and defiled.

— maureen o’connor, The Cut, "Pornhub Is the Kinsey Report of Our Time," 11 June 2017
Defiled and broken as the once-great automobile capital can seem, the past five years have seen great progress.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Movement Festival 2017 Brought Richie Hawtin, Carl Cox, 30K Techno Fans, and Triumph to Detroit," 31 May 2017
According to the Associated Press, Ecclesia of Sinai, which is the parent company of both Azure Standard and Azure Farms, has cited religious beliefs for refusing to spray, including a biblical passage stating that the land should not be defiled.

— grant butler, OregonLive.com, "Dispute over noxious weeds pits Oregon organic farm against Sherman County," 16 May 2017
Even so, the Pope disbanded the order since the whole heresy mess had defiled its name.

— National Geographic, "Busting the Myth of Friday the 13th and the Knights Templar," 12 May 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'defile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of defile

Middle English, alteration (influenced by filen to defile, from Old English fȳlan) of defoilen to trample, defile, from Anglo-French defoiller, defuler, to trample, from de- + fuller, foller to trample, literally, to full — more at full

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of defile

contaminate, taint, pollute, defile mean to make impure or unclean. contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

- water contaminated by industrial wastes

taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

- tainted meat
- a politician's tainted reputation

pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

- the polluted waters of the river

defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

- defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

defile

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noun de·file \ di-ˈfī(-ə)l , ˈdē-ˌfī(-ə)l \

Definition of defile

geology

:a narrow passage (as between hills, rocks, or cliffs) :¹gorge

… come to us from a narrow defile in the Pennine Alps between Switzerland and Italy, a place called the Great St. Bernard Pass.
—Michael Olmert

See defile defined for English-language learners

Examples of defile in a Sentence

the cattle, once they were cornered in the defile, were quickly rounded up

Origin and Etymology of defile

French défilé, from past participle of défiler — see ³defile

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1685

See Words from the same year

defile Synonyms

Synonyms

col, couloir, canyon, flume, gap, gill [British], gorge, gulch, gulf, kloof [South African], linn [chiefly Scottish], notch, pass, ravine, saddle

Related Words

abyss, chasm, cirque, cleft, crevasse, crevice, cwm [chiefly British], fissure; combe (also coombe or coomb) [British], dale, dell, glen, hollow, shut-in, vale, valley; basin, floodplain, kettle; arroyo, barranca (also barranco), coulee, draw, gully (also gulley), gutter, nullah, trench, trough, wadi, wash [West]

defile

play

verb de·file \ di-ˈfī(-ə)l , ˈdē-ˌfī(-ə)l \

Definition of defile

defiled; defiling

intransitive verb

military

:to march off in a line

… breaks out into a brave and glorious descripion of the forces, as they defiled through the principal gate of the city …
—Washington Irving

Recent Examples of defile from the Web

For the past decade, seeing women who look like me — Asian women — in sexual contexts has meant seeing women who look like me being abused, dominated, and defiled.

— maureen o’connor, The Cut, "Pornhub Is the Kinsey Report of Our Time," 11 June 2017
Defiled and broken as the once-great automobile capital can seem, the past five years have seen great progress.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Movement Festival 2017 Brought Richie Hawtin, Carl Cox, 30K Techno Fans, and Triumph to Detroit," 31 May 2017
According to the Associated Press, Ecclesia of Sinai, which is the parent company of both Azure Standard and Azure Farms, has cited religious beliefs for refusing to spray, including a biblical passage stating that the land should not be defiled.

— grant butler, OregonLive.com, "Dispute over noxious weeds pits Oregon organic farm against Sherman County," 16 May 2017
Even so, the Pope disbanded the order since the whole heresy mess had defiled its name.

— National Geographic, "Busting the Myth of Friday the 13th and the Knights Templar," 12 May 2016