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
La Catalina had her first match in AAA, defeating Jessy Jackson.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
In the process of winning 14 straight division championships from 1991-2005, Cox appeared in four other World Series, losing to Gillick’s Blue Jays in 1992 and the Yankees in 1996 and ’99 but defeating the Indians in 1995.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Toyota, however, never looked in serious contention at Spa, despite defeating Ferrari to win the WEC season-opener at Imola last month.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 9 May 2026
Allen advanced by defeating Idaho in five games.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
In the sequel, the Sanderson sisters rise again and fans were treated to their backstory from centuries past, as a new group of teenagers (Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lila Buckingham) were tasked with defeating them.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
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
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
In the process of winning 14 straight division championships from 1991-2005, Cox appeared in four other World Series, losing to Gillick’s Blue Jays in 1992 and the Yankees in 1996 and ’99 but defeating the Indians in 1995.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
Toyota, however, never looked in serious contention at Spa, despite defeating Ferrari to win the WEC season-opener at Imola last month.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 9 May 2026
Allen advanced by defeating Idaho in five games.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
In the sequel, the Sanderson sisters rise again and fans were treated to their backstory from centuries past, as a new group of teenagers (Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lila Buckingham) were tasked with defeating them.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeating
Verb
-
The author is an entrepreneur and working on a book about overcoming betrayal.—
Emily Bryn Williams,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
Two years ago, Romeo and her family celebrated her evolution as a performer after overcoming previous struggles.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Most people spend year one with their heads down, mastering the job.—
Andy Molinsky,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
While others were mastering the blues, Jimi Hendrix was rewiring rock.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
7 May 2026
Verb
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This is as good as any New York team has looked in a long time, maybe since the Giants got on that roll on their way to beating the 18-0 Patriots in Glendale, Ariz.—
Mike Lupica,
Hartford Courant,
11 May 2026
-
The surge in energy prices helped Saudi Aramco to report a 26% year-on-year jump in first-quarter profit on Sunday, beating analysts’ forecasts.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
11 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
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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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Washington said the airport’s 36-mile-long fence meets Federal Aviation Administration requirements and noted that there are multiple layers of security to prevent a breach from taking place.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
More Americans are hitting the road, boarding flights and taking cruises this Memorial Day, according to AAA.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The Dark Knight’s wheels are getting a winter upgrade.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
8 May 2026
-
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 New York Knicks haven’t slowed down since dispatching the Toronto Raptors in a tough seven-game first-round series.—
Juan Carlos Blanco,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
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Anaheim finished it off with a 5-2 victory in Game 6 on Thursday night, calmly dispatching its more experienced opponents with the poise and potency that this team has shown for long stretches this season.—
Greg Beacham,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Higher gas prices and airfare aren't stopping 45 million Americans from traveling for Memorial Day weekend in 2026, according to AAA's new forecast.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
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There’s been no stopping Garcia in his last two starts.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeating. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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