defy

1 of 2

verb

de·​fy di-ˈfī 

dē-

defied; defying

transitive verb

1

: to confront with assured power of resistance : disregard

defy public opinion

in trouble for defying a court order

2

: to resist attempts at : withstand

the paintings defy classification

a decision that defies all logic

3

: to challenge to do something considered impossible : dare

defied us to name a better movie

4

archaic : to challenge to combat

defy

2 of 2

noun

de·​fy di-ˈfī  ˈdē-ˌfī 

plural defies

: challenge, defiance

observers took this to be a form of defy

—Jack Alexander

Synonyms

Verb

• disobey
• mock
• rebel (against)

Examples of defy in a Sentence

Verb

She defied her parents and dropped out of school.

The group has continued to defy all efforts to stop them.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Perhaps those future findings will defy researchers’ expectations as this one did, Rabani said. —Madison Goldberg, Quanta Magazine, 20 Nov. 2023

In contrast with the precipitous fallings-off of platforms like Myspace and LiveJournal, the decays of which have been clear and irreversible, Tumblr has kept defying expectations and stayed somewhat thriving against all odds. —Allegra Rosenberg, The Verge, 17 Nov. 2023

Michael Jordan defying gravity toward the hoop and draining constant clutch shots in the playoffs. —Will Leitch, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2023

Indoors, black paint defies its dark and dreary reputation. —Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Nov. 2023

While a coordinated global interest rate tightening has slowed economies worldwide, the U.S., despite having higher rates, is defying predictions of contraction. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2023

But a race against an incumbent who has defied political gravity before would have been a much tougher fight for the GOP. —Bridget Bowman, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2023

But for eight riveting minutes, Mizu turns this dangerous terrain into an advantage, defying the laws of physics multiple times while carving the Fangs up into little pieces. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2023

Those myriad advantages defy measurement on their own, but inheritance reliably signals their presence. —Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023

Noun

There are also vehicles that kind of defy trailering, at least under normal circumstances, like the old U.S. military Unimog (pictured above), complete with a hydraulic front-end loader. —Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, 8 Jan. 2023

Over the past few years, astronomers have uncovered about a dozen objects in the distant solar system that defy expectations. —Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2019

But so many gathering places in New York City defy categorization. —Karrie Jacobs, Curbed, 18 July 2022

Ciara and Andreas defy categorization by being other worldly good looking with chaotic neutral personalities. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2022

Can Christian Pulisic — if healthy — and the young American squad defy odds again and knock off a soccer superpower in the Netherlands? —Chris Ilenstine, Chicago Tribune, 2 Dec. 2022

The financial inclusivity scores for the U.S. defy categorization. —Byseema Shah, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2022

But Curry has done nothing but defy odds his entire career. —Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Sep. 2022

The challenge for Democrats will be to maintain the energy for several more months and defy trends that typically trip up the party in power. —Steve Peoples, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2022

See More

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English defien "to renounce, disavow, scorn, challenge to fight," borrowed from Anglo-French defier, desfier, from de-, des- de- + fier "to pledge, trust in, rely on," going back to Vulgar Latin *fīdāre, re-formation of Latin fīdere "to trust (in), have confidence (in)" — more at faith entry 1

Note: The sense history was perhaps "to break faith with" > "to scorn" > "to challenge to a fight," though the latter meaning appears to be the earliest in Old French.

Noun

in part borrowed from Middle French deffy, noun derivative of defier "to challenge, defy entry 1," in part derivative of defy entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing defy

• defy analysis
• defy belief
• defy convention
• defy logic

• defy analysis
• defy belief
• defy convention
• defy logic

Kids Definition

defy

verb

de·​fy

di-ˈfī

defied; defying

1

: to challenge to do something considered impossible : dare

the magician defied the audience to explain the trick

2

: to refuse boldly to obey or to yield to : disregard

defy public opinion

3

: to resist attempts at : withstand, baffle

a scene that defies description

defier

-ˈfī(-ə)r

noun