as in overcoming
to achieve a victory over
they defeated their archrivals easily and moved into the next round of the play-offs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of defeating
The Fairfield University women’s basketball team will head back to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, after defeating Quinnipiac 51-44 Monday night in the MAAC championship game and getting the conference’s automatic berth in Atlantic City.
—
Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
The Bobcats showed flickers of promise, nearly defeating Troy and Georgia Southern in the regular season.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 9 Mar. 2026
The sportsman, who made headlines for defeating Lorenzo Musetti in a 2023 Davis Cup Finals group stage match, broke into the top 100 ranking in 2024 and claimed his first ATP title at the 2025 Libéma Open.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 9 Mar. 2026
Several new candidates on Mecklenburg County ballots unseated incumbents this week, with two state lawmaker candidates defeating their opponents in landslides.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 9 Mar. 2026
Three days after defeating the Mavericks for the first time in four years, the Magic accomplished something on Sunday that the franchise hadn’t done stretching back even further.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
The president has repeatedly told Americans that keeping gas costs low would be key to defeating inflation.
—Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Mater Dei celebrated its return to the top of CIF Southern Section boys soccer by defeating rival Orange Lutheran 2-0 in the Open Division final at El Modena High on Saturday.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
The Knights scored a 15th straight victory Saturday, defeating Saddleback (15-15) 79-70.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
The Bobcats showed flickers of promise, nearly defeating Troy and Georgia Southern in the regular season.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 9 Mar. 2026
The sportsman, who made headlines for defeating Lorenzo Musetti in a 2023 Davis Cup Finals group stage match, broke into the top 100 ranking in 2024 and claimed his first ATP title at the 2025 Libéma Open.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 9 Mar. 2026
Several new candidates on Mecklenburg County ballots unseated incumbents this week, with two state lawmaker candidates defeating their opponents in landslides.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 9 Mar. 2026
Three days after defeating the Mavericks for the first time in four years, the Magic accomplished something on Sunday that the franchise hadn’t done stretching back even further.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
The president has repeatedly told Americans that keeping gas costs low would be key to defeating inflation.
—Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Mater Dei celebrated its return to the top of CIF Southern Section boys soccer by defeating rival Orange Lutheran 2-0 in the Open Division final at El Modena High on Saturday.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
The Knights scored a 15th straight victory Saturday, defeating Saddleback (15-15) 79-70.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeating
Verb
-
Whether a brave, thrilling but ultimately unsuccessful attempt at overcoming a seemingly impossible target of 254 to beat India and reach the T20 World Cup final will be enough to make up for England’s desperately disappointing winter.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
His big struggle was overcoming the same challenge most pitchers face after a long layoff.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the era of the fax machine, knowing more than your competitors by holding specialized knowledge, memorizing procedures, and mastering complex systems, was a genuine competitive edge.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Mar. 2026
-
But mastering the when and where requires experience.—
Devin Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Alajuelense returned the favor, beating LAFC 2-1 at BMO Stadium a week later, but that wasn’t enough to prevent the Black & Gold from continuing on the road to finishing runners-up to León.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) celebrates after beating Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom (40) for the game-winning goal during overtime in an NHL hockey game at the American Airlines Center on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Dallas.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Vin Baker did not want to return a conquering University of Hartford hero just yet.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Best of luck conquering the world today and, of course, do keep in touch.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And the then-new audio streaming services, like Spotify, were taking hits from creators for paying low royalty rates.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Duncanville picked up the pace in the third quarter, taking a 38-34-lead into the fourth.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Games that mark the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympics are getting underway amid the ongoing military attacks by the United States, Israel and Iran.—
Tales Azzoni,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
This is a time of giving and getting support, because practical care reduces friction.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Health insurance costs and dispatching fees keep increasing.—
Igor Studenkov,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Staff member Brandon Richards, who made $136,000 last year, is tasked with quickly dispatching responses to information the governor’s team deems inaccurate or misleading that is spread on social media and in the media.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Rather than stopping disagreements from happening, this aspect is about repairing any damage left behind.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Tuesday’s game featured intentional clock-stopping, game-extending fouls by the Heat.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeating. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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