defile

1 of 3

verb (1)

de·​file di-ˈfī(-ə)l 

dē-

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

defilement

di-ˈfī(-ə)l-mənt 

dē-

noun

defiler

di-ˈfī-lər 

dē-

noun

defile

2 of 3

noun

de·​file di-ˈfī(-ə)l  ˈdē-ˌfī(-ə)l 

geology

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

… 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

defile

3 of 3

verb (2)

de·​file di-ˈfī(-ə)l  ˈdē-ˌfī(-ə)l 

defiled; defiling

intransitive verb

military

: to march off in a line

… breaks out into a brave and glorious description of the forces, as they defiled through the principal gate of the city …

—Washington Irving

Did you know?

The verb defile (unrelated to this verb defile or its related noun) has a number of uses that are all variations on the idea of making something unclean or impure. These meanings echo the word’s Middle English and Anglo-French ancestry, where defilement is connected to figurative and literal trampling. The ultimate Anglo-French root is fuller, or foller, which means “to trample under foot,” “to oppress”—or literally, “to full.” Full in this case is a technical term: when you full woolen cloth you shrink and thicken it by moistening, heating, and pressing it. Originally, the pressing part was done by trampling it with the feet.

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• befoul
• contaminate
• foul
• poison
• pollute
• taint

Noun

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

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of defile in a Sentence

Verb (1)

supplies of meat that had been defiled by maggots

art conservators were careful not to do anything that might defile the holy relic

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Paintings whose reverence for Indigenous people had once shocked were now held in contempt, viewed as defiling those same people. —Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025

The sacred plant, long defiled, heralded, as in the time of the Inca and all the ancient civilizations of the Andes, as a gift of the gods. —Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025

Noun

In the right of the picture, a platoon of soldiers, heavily armed and preceded by a pair of gun carriages, tramp through a defile. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2025

Navarette Romero, a Honduran national, was found with some of the victim's belongings, the chief said, and he was charged with abduction with intent to defile and rape. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

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

Noun

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

Verb (2)

French défiler, from dé- de- + filer to move in a column — more at file

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1685, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1705, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for defile

• argyle
• awhile
• beguile
• compile
• condyle
• erstwhile
• exile
• freestyle
• gentile
• hairstyle
• lifestyle
• meanwhile

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Kids Definition

defile

1 of 2 verb

de·​file di-ˈfī(ə)l 

defiled; defiling

1

: to make filthy : dirty

stored grain defiled by rats

2

: to corrupt the purity or perfection of

defile buildings with posters

3

: desecrate

a shrine defiled by the invaders

4

: dishonor entry 2 sense 1

defiled our good name

defilement

-fī(ə)l-mənt 

noun

defiler

-ˈfī-lər 

noun

defile

2 of 2 noun

de·​file di-ˈfī(ə)l  ˈdē-ˌfīl 

: a narrow passage or gorge

Legal Definition

defile

transitive verb

de·​file di-ˈfīl 

defiled; defiling

: to dishonor by physical acts (as trampling, dirtying, or mutilating)

defiling the flag

defilement noun

defiler noun