defy

verb de·fy \ di-ˈfī , dē- \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: defy in a Sentence

Definition of defy

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

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Examples of defy in a Sentence

She defied her parents and dropped out of school.
The group has continued to defy all efforts to stop them.

Recent Examples of defy from the Web

Republican lawmakers will face another test in defying Trump on trade this week as they are joined by Democrats in an attempt to block the administration’s deal with the Chinese telecommunications company ZTE.

— sahil kapur, Bloomberg.com, "Trump’s ‘Cult-Like’ Grip on GOP Keeps Most Party Members in Line," 13 June 2018
But Reyna became accustomed to defying cultural norms at an early age.

— andrea alonso, Los Angeles Magazine, "Why You Should be Listening to Mexican-Born, L.A.-Based Rapper Niña Dioz," 5 June 2018
To this point, GOP officeholders have paid little price for defying their voters’ preferences on fiscal policy.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Red-State Teachers Just Scored a Victory That Could Transform the GOP," 23 May 2018
The judge added additional requirements in 2016 after finding Arpaio and three of his aides in civil contempt of court for defying orders.

— rebekah l. sanders, azcentral, "Maricopa County to spend $30M to comply with former Sheriff Joe Arpaio lawsuit orders," 22 May 2018
What to do with a living space that defies the conventional norms of four walls, roof, kitchen and baths?

— jacques kelly, baltimoresun.com, "Jacques Kelly: Kirk Avenue's Compound, an artists' commune in need of some work," 28 Apr. 2018
The films explore defying conventional gender norms and focus on women who pursue their professional passions in a patriarchal world.

— Vogue, "Golden Popcorn and Sparkling Starlets—Bulgari Hosts the Premieres of Conducting a Revolution and The Litas," 27 Apr. 2018
The move is widely seen as the culmination of Xi’s efforts since being appointed leader of the party in 2012 to concentrate power in his own hands and defy norms of collective leadership established over the past two decades.

— christopher bodeen, USA TODAY, "China makes historic move to let Xi rule indefinitely," 11 Mar. 2018
Along the way, Salzmann continues to defy corporate norms.

— steve jagler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Jagler: Salzmann is the 'Pied Piper’ who is driving Acuity’s growth," 23 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of defy

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 ¹faith

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.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 4

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