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
Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines hoists the trophy after defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63 in the national championship of the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 6, 2026, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
—
CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team is headed back to the national championship game for the third time in the last four years after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini, 71-62, in the Final Four.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
In his March Madness brackets, Obama has the Arizona Wildcats men defeating the Duke Blue Devils (who have already been upset) and UConn's women's team winning it all.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Evans hit 18 of 25 3-pointers the final round, defeating Shay Ciezki of the Indiana Hoosiers by a final round score of 22-16.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
That included defeating Tampa Bay 8-7 last month after trailing 7-5 with nine minutes left in regulation.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Austin Hays also hit a three-run home run for the Sox, who collected their first win of the season by defeating the Miami Marlins 9-4 in front of 6,515 at loanDepot park.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
New York looked terrific, allowing just a single run over three games, defeating the Giants 7-0, 3-0, and 3-1.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The game happened to be on November 18th, the anniversary of Haitian revolutionaries defeating the French Army in 1803 before declaring independence.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team is headed back to the national championship game for the third time in the last four years after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini, 71-62, in the Final Four.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
In his March Madness brackets, Obama has the Arizona Wildcats men defeating the Duke Blue Devils (who have already been upset) and UConn's women's team winning it all.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Evans hit 18 of 25 3-pointers the final round, defeating Shay Ciezki of the Indiana Hoosiers by a final round score of 22-16.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
That included defeating Tampa Bay 8-7 last month after trailing 7-5 with nine minutes left in regulation.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Austin Hays also hit a three-run home run for the Sox, who collected their first win of the season by defeating the Miami Marlins 9-4 in front of 6,515 at loanDepot park.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026
New York looked terrific, allowing just a single run over three games, defeating the Giants 7-0, 3-0, and 3-1.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
The game happened to be on November 18th, the anniversary of Haitian revolutionaries defeating the French Army in 1803 before declaring independence.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeating
Verb
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That would involve changing some state laws, persuading housing lenders to be more accommodating and overcoming resistance from construction unions.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
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There is power in prevention, which makes overcoming these obstacles crucial.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The original series ran on Disney Channel from 2007 to 2012, following the Russo family as its three siblings navigated the challenges of adolescence while mastering their magical abilities.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Gators’ strongest player pound-for-pound, Baugh is also committed to mastering the details of the offense.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Willacy, who received the death penalty for beating his neighbor with a hammer and setting her on fire in 1990 in Palm Bay, Florida, is scheduled to be executed on April 21.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, UConn earned a ticket to the final game after beating Illinois, 71-62, in hopes of earning its seventh championship title.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Basically, look for a design that looks like as though was made for walking in the Mediterranean, but also for conquering the city streets.—
Alex Sales,
Glamour,
9 Apr. 2026
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After conquering the internet underground, perhaps Yeat believes that stadium status is all that’s left.—
Mosi Reeves,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So far, he's picked up and dropped off about ten people, taking them to anything from doctor's appointments to haircuts.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Rhyne did not advocate for taking money from the state’s $625 million school voucher program to fund public schools.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But after getting as close as six in the third, the Heat went into the fourth down 102-90, with the deficit back into the 20s less than four minutes into that final period.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Apr. 2026
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Heiskanen appeared to get sandwiched in between Hartman and the boards before going down in a heap and possibly getting his knee tangled up underneath him.—
R.J. Coyle,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For generations, 911 operators have been the backbone of the American emergency response network, answering calls for help, and then dispatching and coordinating police and firefighters, SWAT teams, mental-health counselors and animal-control officers.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
6 Apr. 2026
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The event was private, but the German tabloid Bild had staked it out, dispatching from Munich a long-lens photographer named Robert Gongoll.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Peanut cannot smell, but caregivers say that limitation does not appear to be stopping him from adjusting to his new surroundings.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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There are 81 rooms in total, ranging from classic doubles to one-bedroom apartments, while the show-stopping penthouse suite has a dining table for eight, a dressing room and an enormous 130-square-metre rooftop terrace with a private sauna and cold plunge pool overlooking Fitzrovia.—
Siobhan Grogan,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeating. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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