as in overcoming
to achieve a victory over
they defeated their archrivals easily and moved into the next round of the play-offs
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Recent Examples of defeating
Swalwell won his congressional race, defeating a 40-year incumbent more than double his age, and grew his national profile by connecting with young voters on social media.
—
Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 4 May 2026
In all, according to a tally from AdImpact, nearly $7 million has been spent on TV ads this year in Indiana state senate races, the bulk of it aimed at defeating the Republicans who voted against the redrawn congressional maps.
—Tamara Keith, NPR, 4 May 2026
The Philadelphia 76ers are moving on to the second round of the NBA playoffs after defeating the Jayson Tatum-less Boston Celtics 109-100 in Game 7 Saturday night to complete the NBA's 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit.
—CBS News, 3 May 2026
While supporters credit the movement with restoring stability and defeating the Shining Path, critics associate it with authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuses.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May 2026
If only one Republican were to land on the November ballot — which seems more likely — that candidate would have a difficult time defeating a Democrat, based on voter registration and recent voting patterns.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Argentina are the reigning champions, after defeating France in 2022, to win the country's third title.
—Tanya Edwards, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Coast to Coast 🏆 The PWHL playoffs kicked off last night with the Boston Fleet defeating the Ottawa Charge 2-1.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 1 May 2026
This is a game where Norman Reedus carries a baby in a jar to rebuild America by delivering packages and defeating time ghosts.
—George Yang, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 4 May 2026
In all, according to a tally from AdImpact, nearly $7 million has been spent on TV ads this year in Indiana state senate races, the bulk of it aimed at defeating the Republicans who voted against the redrawn congressional maps.
—Tamara Keith, NPR, 4 May 2026
The Philadelphia 76ers are moving on to the second round of the NBA playoffs after defeating the Jayson Tatum-less Boston Celtics 109-100 in Game 7 Saturday night to complete the NBA's 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit.
—CBS News, 3 May 2026
While supporters credit the movement with restoring stability and defeating the Shining Path, critics associate it with authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuses.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May 2026
If only one Republican were to land on the November ballot — which seems more likely — that candidate would have a difficult time defeating a Democrat, based on voter registration and recent voting patterns.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Argentina are the reigning champions, after defeating France in 2022, to win the country's third title.
—Tanya Edwards, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Coast to Coast 🏆 The PWHL playoffs kicked off last night with the Boston Fleet defeating the Ottawa Charge 2-1.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 1 May 2026
This is a game where Norman Reedus carries a baby in a jar to rebuild America by delivering packages and defeating time ghosts.
—George Yang, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeating
Verb
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More Than One Way to Survive in Business Entrepreneurs have been positioned to accept that overcoming the competition is the only way to succeed in business, but there may be other paths forward.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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The Blackbeard project aims to achieve all this while overcoming the obstacles that have hindered previous attempts at hypersonic weaponry.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pig organs are similar enough in size and function to humans', but transplanting entire organs was completely out of reach until about a decade ago when scientists began mastering gene editing well enough to breed pigs whose organs are less likely to be rejected by the human immune system.—
Karen Weintraub,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
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But there’s a real satisfaction in watching Ohm figure out the suite’s unique conveniences, run by analog systems of pulleys and levers, confronting the terrors within and mastering them for his survival.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The sun was beating down on me.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The Wild’s penalty-killers pounced, starting a rush the other way that ended with Marcus Foligno beating Scott Wedgewood for a 5-4 Wild lead — Minnesota’s third straight goal and its third of the period.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Built by Blueprint Construction with structural engineering by Design Point, the East River Residence demonstrates that conquering challenging terrain sometimes means floating above it.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Apr. 2026
-
One after another, the avatars of Democratic success in Georgia took the stage Saturday and were greeted like conquering heroes by hundreds of party faithful at the annual Carter-Lewis gala.—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Harry and Meghan stepped back from their senior royal roles in 2020 due to media intrusion and racist coverage, eventually taking residence in Canada and, later, California, with their two children – Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Brown said Atlanta was taking away the Knicks’ spray game, which made the answer simpler.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Dark Knight’s wheels are getting a winter upgrade.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
8 May 2026
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And second, our views of the future tend to be dark, and seem to be getting darker.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The name Business Wire likely derives from the terms news wires or wire services, which recall the mid-19th-century method of dispatching news via telegraph, sending electrical signals via wire across great distances.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
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After dispatching her parents from Phoenix to inspect the property, the couple decided to go ahead with the purchase.—
Jonathan Bullington,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That led many to believe that, while treatments and crisis care are vital, the goal of suicide prevention needs to expand beyond stopping people from dying to also giving them reasons to live.—
Aneri Pattani,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Bain walked purposefully, never slowing, never stopping — not even to size himself up in his new Bucs hat in the mirror — before striding onstage for a hug with the commissioner.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeating. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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