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

If The Colony defeats Lovejoy by 12 or more points then The Colony will be the second seed, Lovejoy (38-35 win over CH) the third seed and Colleyville Heritage the fourth seed. — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Nov. 2026

Veteran Democrat of anti-Trump state easily defeats Republican Steve Hilton. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 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

Noun

Boebert’s loss is among several unexpected Republican defeats in an election shaping up as the most lopsided in half a century. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2026

Candidates tied to the Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, movement suffered a series of electoral defeats in the 2026 midterm elections, raising questions about MAHA’s political future. — Matt Motta, The Conversation, 13 Nov. 2026

After Missouri Republicans faced a series of crushing defeats in the midterm elections, the party’s incoming class of senators met near downtown Kansas City to discuss their priorities moving forward. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2026

But while Carrick has received criticism, many fans don’t appear ready to completely turn on their manager, continuing to sing his name after recent defeats. — Zahin Das, NBC news, 11 Nov. 2026

Neither prevented late defeats against the Knicks and Hawks, when defensive breakdowns and poor decision-making outweighed the team’s outside shooting. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 11 Nov. 2026

The impeachment effort could attract more bipartisan support, since members of both parties are frustrated with Hegseth's handling of the war with Iran and Republicans are reeling from their defeats in the midterm elections. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 9 Nov. 2026

Neither Miller nor Gomez referenced the allegations against them in statements issued after their defeats. — Anna Liss-Roy, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026

Despite the sweeping defeats his party suffered in the state, Cruz remained optimistic that Texas would return to its prior ruby-red status. — Connor Greene, Time, 6 Nov. 2026