defeat

1 failure to win a contest sore losers still griping about their defeat in the basketball game earlier that week Synonyms beating, drubbing, licking, loss, lump, overthrow, plastering, rout, shellacking, trimming, trouncing, whipping Related Words collapse, debacle (also débâcle), failure, fiasco, fizzle, flop, nonsuccess, setback, upset; lurch, shutout, washout, whitewash Near Antonyms accomplishment, achievement; blowout, cakewalk, landslide, romp, runaway, sweep, walkaway, walkover Antonyms success, triumph, victory, win

2 a falling short of one's goals truly disheartened by the defeat of his plans to revitalize downtown Synonyms collapse, crash, cropper, failure, fizzle, nonachievement, nonsuccessRelated Words futility, uselessness; ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficaciousness, inefficacy; deficiency, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency; disappointment, letdown, setbackNear Antonyms victory, winAntonyms accomplishment, achievement, success

to achieve a victory over they defeated their archrivals easily and moved into the next round of the play-offs Synonyms best, conquer, beat, dispatch, do down [British], get, get around, lick, master, overbear, overcome, overmatch, prevail (over), skunk, stop, subdue, surmount, take, trim, triumph (over), upend, win (against), worstRelated Words sweep; edge (out), nose out, pip [British]; annihilate, blow away, blow out, bomb, break, bury, clobber, cream, crush, drub, finish, flatten, overwhelm, rout, shellac, skin, slaughter, smoke [slang], snow under, thrash, trounce, upset, wallop, wax [slang], whip; cap, excel, flourish, score, succeed; knock off, knock over, overpower, overthrow, subjugate, unseat, vanquish; ace (out), better, eclipse, exceed, excel, outdistance, outdo, outfight, outshine, outstrip, overtop, surpass, top, transcendNear Antonyms fall, give up, go down, go under; collapse, fail, flop, flunk, fold, wash outAntonyms lose (to)