1
as in to disobey
to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of
in those days a woman was brave if she defied fashion and wore white after Labor Day
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to confront
to oppose (something hostile or dangerous) with firmness or courage
a rescue team willing to defy the raging storm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to resist
to refuse to give in to
a bicyclist who regularly defies illness and infirmity in order to compete in races
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defy
Industry titans are embracing a new generation of technologies that promise lifted features and age-defying results with modest to no downtime.
—
Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2025
Lima defies culinary expectations at every turn.
—Marisol Mosquera, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
Labels matter Security analysts say the situation in Haiti continues to defy clear international legal characterization and the choice of labels – crisis, armed conflict, gangs, terrorist groups, armed groups, criminal groups, insurgents – carries significant legal and humanitarian implications.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Research shows many workers are quietly defying the orders.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defy
Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2025
Lima defies culinary expectations at every turn.
—Marisol Mosquera, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
Labels matter Security analysts say the situation in Haiti continues to defy clear international legal characterization and the choice of labels – crisis, armed conflict, gangs, terrorist groups, armed groups, criminal groups, insurgents – carries significant legal and humanitarian implications.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Research shows many workers are quietly defying the orders.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defy
Verb
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Washington made the move over Petro’s participation in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York City, as well as his call for US troops deployed in American cities to disobey orders.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
2 Oct. 2025
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Along with allied criminal groups, the syndicate’s crimes led to the deaths of 10 people who disobeyed the group’s management or tried to escape the compounds, according to the Chinese court’s statement.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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What’s clear is that the power of that institution is now in the hands of hacks who clock in every single morning determined solely to purge this country of any citizen who ever dared to challenge or dislike this president.—
Billy Ray,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
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From Andalusia to Istanbul, her journey becomes a daring rescue mission across land and sea, exploring exile, faith and identity.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These religious leaders are confronting a wave of violence.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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On April 19, dental surgeon Akintunde Bowden, 41, was shot and killed at his Brown Deer apartment complex after confronting a neighbor about noise.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hughes and others began resisting orders in passive ways, showing up late or taking patrols extra slowly.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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Yet, in the privacy of his room, Jiang does not resist the temptation of violence.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The collapse of water security in Iran has been decades in the making and is rooted in a mania for megaprojects—dam building, deep wells, and water transfer schemes—that ignored the fundamentals of hydrology and ecological balance.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
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Pierre LeBrun’s viewpoint Arpon, no doubt the Hughes contract injects a fresh comparable into the discussion that neither the Canadiens nor the Hutson camp can ignore, though using comparables always seems to be in the eye of the beholder.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The 2022 move to its current home, near South Coast Plaza, was widely viewed as a chance to raise the museum’s reputation and solidify its role as a place to be entertained and challenged by art.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
30 Sep. 2025
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The approval secured at a special meeting of shareholders held by Fubo on Tuesday still requires regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions for a deal that aims to create a much bigger player in the virtual multichannel video provider to challenge market leader YouTube TV.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Palace, 19 unbeaten, were slicker and sharper, despite their UEFA Conference League trip to face Dynamo Kyiv in Poland on Thursday.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Remember, under the current format, those were all teams coming off a wild-card series win, facing a team with most of the previous week off, just like the Tigers and Mariners.—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Put differently, opposing receivers have recorded the second-least fantasy points on the Panthers in 2025.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
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One of the defendants, Benjamin Song — a 32-year-old former Marine Corps reservist who associates described to authorities as a cult-like ringleader who opposes the government on immigration enforcement and on other matters — shot Alvarado Police Department Lt.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defy. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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