Synonyms of defeats

defeats 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of defeat

as in overcomes

to achieve a victory over

they defeated their archrivals easily and moved into the next round of the play-offs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• overcomes
• masters
• beats
• conquers
• takes
• gets
• dispatches
• subdues
• stops
• surmounts
• succeeds
• upends
• bests
• overmatches
• wins (against)
• triumphs (over)
• overbears
• prevails (over)
• worsts
• gets the better of
• licks
• does down
• gets around
• buries
• trims
• overwhelms
• finishes
• crushes
• slaughters
• sweeps
• surpasses
• upsets
• skunks
• scores
• routs
• knocks for a loop
• annihilates
• drubs
• vanquishes
• exceeds
• excels
• trounces
• flattens
• clobbers
• blows out
• bombs
• thrashes
• edges (out)
• overthrows
• blows away
• overpowers
• subjugates
• whips
• wallops
• noses out
• transcends
• breaks
• flourishes
• caps
• tops
• unseats
• eclipses
• outshines
• outdistances
• knocks over
• smokes
• pips
• outdoes
• skins
• knocks off
• creams
• shellacs
• outstrips
• waxes
• snows under
• overtops
• outfights
• betters
• aces (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• loses (to)
• falls
• goes down
• fails
• collapses
• goes under
• gives up
• folds
• flops
• washes out
• flunks

defeats

2 of 2

noun

plural of defeat

1

as in losses

failure to win a contest

sore losers still griping about their defeat in the basketball game earlier that week

Synonyms & Similar Words

• losses
• setbacks
• beatings
• routs
• overthrows
• drubbings
• failures
• trimmings
• whippings
• lickings
• collapses
• upsets
• shellackings
• plasterings
• shutouts
• flops
• lumps
• fiascoes
• debacles
• fizzles
• washouts
• lurches
• nonsuccesses
• whitewashes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• victories
• wins
• successes
• triumphs
• achievements
• accomplishments
• sweeps
• landslides
• blowouts
• runaways
• romps
• cakewalks
• walkovers
• walkaways

2

as in collapses

a falling short of one's goals

truly disheartened by the defeat of his plans to revitalize downtown

Synonyms & Similar Words

• collapses
• failures
• crashes
• setbacks
• fizzles
• disappointments
• croppers
• futilities
• nonsuccesses
• deficiencies
• nonachievements
• inadequacies
• letdowns
• insufficiencies
• inefficacies
• ineffectualities

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• achievements
• successes
• accomplishments
• victories
• wins

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of defeats

Verb

In the final race of his career, 3-year-old Man O War defeats 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton in a match race, the Kenilworth Park Gold Cup. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

This eventually defeats Other Mommy, leaving the happy family of three intact — even though there’s subtext that Bela will always have a little discomfort around her mother. — William Earl, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Years of practice, games, injuries, triumphs and defeats shape prospects for the ultimate goal — to play hockey professionally. — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Which defeats the entire purpose of replay in the first place. — Will Leitch, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

However, if Merab Dvalishvili defeats Petr Yan at UFC 333, then Song might have a better case than O'Malley considering Merab has beaten Sean twice. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Wolf rescues Kuro, but as the two make their escape, they are intercepted by Genichiro, who defeats Wolf in combat, cuts off his left arm, and kidnaps Kuro again. — Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026

If the opposition defeats the ballot measure in November, billionaires will avoid that liability. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

Seven Democratic incumbents have lost their primaries so far, already tying with 2012 for the most Democratic House incumbent defeats this century. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026

Noun

Lose Game 2, and the Dodgers will be two defeats from a bitter winter. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Marseille ended a run of five straight defeats with a 2-0 win at fellow struggler Troyes to move out of the relegation zone. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

Then only one team had a worse record than their 102 defeats in 2025. — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026

Over the past two months, Republican lawmakers have suffered major defeats on some of their most high-profile policy initiatives. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2026

Then came three more defeats, capped by a 12-1 embarrassment on Saturday against the AL East champion Rays. — CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Fan frustration builds FSU lost to SMU by a field goal and battled at Alabama before suffering a 14-point loss, difficult defeats despite coming against top 25 teams. — Bob Ferrante, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2026

The Wildcats have had two painfully close defeats, falling 24-23 to Tuskegee before losing 34-33 in overtime to unbeaten Benedict. — Wilton Jackson, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Schumaker’s Cardinals went on to win the World Series by defeating his current employer in one of the most painful defeats conceivable for a franchise, or fans. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026