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defeating

verb

present participle of defeat
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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defeating Top Plays from Jets @ Titans To an outside observer, what happened Sunday afternoon — a team with low expectations defeating a Tennessee Titans team with even lower expectations — might not seem all that meaningful. — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 The Kangaroos accomplished that goal, defeating Paschal 31-18 and entering district competition on a positive note. — Gavin Vieck, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2026 Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in a Cotton Bowl semifinal during its 2024 national title run and opened the 2025 season by defeating the Longhorns again 14-7 at Columbus. — Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 The Chiefs had just won their second Super Bowl in the Andy Reid era, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026 The game was billed as a rematch of Super Bowl LX, which Seattle won in February by defeating New England 29-10 to claim the franchise’s second Vince Lombardi Trophy. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026 Northern California received a boost with Folsom defeating Mission Viejo 35-21. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026 After defeating Savannah State 87-0 while setting a program record for points, and piling up 627 yards of offense, the bulldogs rushed for 423 yards, converted eight of 10 third downs and scored on all 11 trips into the red zone. — D’joumbarey A. Moreau, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026 Muhammad Ali reclaimed the world heavyweight boxing title for the third time, a first in professional boxing history, by defeating Leon Spinks in a rematch at the Louisiana Superdome. — USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeating
  1. overcoming
  2. mastering
  3. beating
  4. conquering
  5. taking
  6. getting
  7. dispatching
  8. stopping
Verb
  • This design continually reflects the laser inside the stream via total internal reflection, overcoming the need for focal-point or Rayleigh-length adjustments.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Augusto, Marrero, Hernández and countless others have little choice but to figure things out which, in Cuban parlance, means overcoming whatever obstacle is placed in their way.
    — Juan Carlos López, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • There’s a specific, nuanced skill in mastering someone else’s tone.
    — Marissa Brassfield, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Essential, too, is the productive friction generated by grappling with and then mastering new knowledge.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of mastering
Verb
  • Data from the firm shows that, from 1991 through 2025, firms trading at more than 20 times earnings have a mixed track record at delivering inflation-beating returns over the subsequent 10 years.
    — Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • And amazingly, though perhaps not surprisingly, Zverev has been able to collect those two trophies without beating either Alcaraz or Sinner all year.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of beating
Verb
  • Speaking of those chickens, Schreiber—whose fear of poultry started as a child, when his hippie parents moved the family to a commune in Canada—seems to be successfully conquering this particular anxiety.
    — Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026
  • John Deacon, Queen The members of Queen were magpies who could throw just about anything, from opera to rockabilly, into their world-conquering arena rock.
    — Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of conquering
Verb
  • After taking a short corner and getting the ball back, Savio turned down a chance to cross and chose to chop instead.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Moon opposes intense Pluto, exposing a routine or responsibility that has been taking more out of you than expected.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of taking
Verb
  • Underwood, the five-star recruit from the Detroit area who commanded a multimillion-dollar name, image and likeness deal to sign with Michigan, had completed only 11 passes before getting a last-second reprieve.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The priority, however, is getting Ohtani back to himself on the offensive side before the postseason — whether that means a couple days off or more than a week.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of getting
Verb
  • Instead of dispatching a service van ($150 to $300 in fuel and labor) and navigating traffic, the technician accessed the multitenant dashboard.
    — Robert Messer, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Two McDonald’s trailers were dispatching Quarter-pounders and Chicken McNuggets with the same military efficiency shown at the restaurants.
    — Devin Friedman, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of dispatching
Verb
  • Anderson’s task of allowing his centre-backs to defend the half-spaces continued in the second half and was crucial in stopping United’s attacks from the wide areas as Enzo Maresca’s side dropped deeper.
    — Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Hurts made enough splash plays to lead Philadelphia to a 24-22 win that was secured by the defense stopping a 2-point conversion.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of stopping

Browse Nearby Words

defeated
defeating
defeatism
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Cite this Entry

“Defeating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeating. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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