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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defeats
Walden Green, Pitchfork, 12 June 2026
Danny Harris defeats Edwin Moses in the 400 hurdles at a meet in Madrid, ending the longest winning streak in track and field.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
But when a brutish — and handsome — newcomer named Sir Tristam defeats Sir Palomides in a tournament, Princess Isode finds her plans thwarted.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
Brown family Joni says the policy change defeats the purpose of getting the pass.
—Olivia Young, CBS News, 28 May 2026
Both fixtures against Newcastle United, defeats to Bournemouth and Fulham, and the home draw against Manchester City demonstrated how Tottenham lacked a discernible game plan and seemed at the mercy of game-state momentum under Frank.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Meanwhile, Din defeats Moff Gideon in single combat, earning possession of the Darksaber.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 21 May 2026
This time, though, he's already somewhat sidelined by the introduction of Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), and then he's stunningly killed during a fight with Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), who defeats him and crushes his head.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Over-spraying leads to streaks, which defeats the entire purpose.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
The United States almost certainly would have wound up fighting the sort of casualty-heavy counterinsurgency campaign that has led it to costly defeats elsewhere.
—Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
The inexperienced squad suffered heavy defeats against Comoros, conceding 30 goals in two matches.
—ABC News, 17 June 2026
Traumatic defeats for Argentina at the hands of Belgium in 1982 and Cameroon in 1990 are part of a wider trend that has also included famous defeats for France (against Senegal in 2002), Spain (against the Netherlands in 2014) and Germany (against Mexico in 2018).
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Questions about democratic norms have also resurfaced because Fujimori never fully accepted her defeats in either 2016 or 2021.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026
France ended the Seleção’s campaign in the 2006 quarterfinals, the Netherlands did so in 2010, Germany inflicted one of the most infamous defeats in the sport’s history in 2014 – a 7-1 drubbing that had fans crying in the stands – and quarterfinal exits followed again in 2018 and 2022.
—Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 13 June 2026
Beginning at Italia ’90, when Team USA was unceremoniously dumped out of its first World Cup with three consecutive defeats, this slice of stars-and-stripes nostalgia then charts the buildup to its first time as host.
—Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 10 June 2026
The series opens as City’s record-breaking run of 26 games unbeaten comes to a shuddering halt, with a string of defeats in late 2024 leaving Guardiola visibly shaken.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 June 2026
Verb
Of course, this is a fun exercise that also defeats the entire purpose.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 12 June 2026
Danny Harris defeats Edwin Moses in the 400 hurdles at a meet in Madrid, ending the longest winning streak in track and field.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
But when a brutish — and handsome — newcomer named Sir Tristam defeats Sir Palomides in a tournament, Princess Isode finds her plans thwarted.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
Brown family Joni says the policy change defeats the purpose of getting the pass.
—Olivia Young, CBS News, 28 May 2026
Both fixtures against Newcastle United, defeats to Bournemouth and Fulham, and the home draw against Manchester City demonstrated how Tottenham lacked a discernible game plan and seemed at the mercy of game-state momentum under Frank.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Meanwhile, Din defeats Moff Gideon in single combat, earning possession of the Darksaber.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 21 May 2026
This time, though, he's already somewhat sidelined by the introduction of Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), and then he's stunningly killed during a fight with Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), who defeats him and crushes his head.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Over-spraying leads to streaks, which defeats the entire purpose.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
At 31, Moises concludes his UFC tenure with an 8-8 record over 16 fights, having faced recent struggles with three losses in his last four outings, including consecutive defeats.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
The United States almost certainly would have wound up fighting the sort of casualty-heavy counterinsurgency campaign that has led it to costly defeats elsewhere.
—Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
The inexperienced squad suffered heavy defeats against Comoros, conceding 30 goals in two matches.
—ABC News, 17 June 2026
Traumatic defeats for Argentina at the hands of Belgium in 1982 and Cameroon in 1990 are part of a wider trend that has also included famous defeats for France (against Senegal in 2002), Spain (against the Netherlands in 2014) and Germany (against Mexico in 2018).
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Questions about democratic norms have also resurfaced because Fujimori never fully accepted her defeats in either 2016 or 2021.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026
France ended the Seleção’s campaign in the 2006 quarterfinals, the Netherlands did so in 2010, Germany inflicted one of the most infamous defeats in the sport’s history in 2014 – a 7-1 drubbing that had fans crying in the stands – and quarterfinal exits followed again in 2018 and 2022.
—Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 13 June 2026
Beginning at Italia ’90, when Team USA was unceremoniously dumped out of its first World Cup with three consecutive defeats, this slice of stars-and-stripes nostalgia then charts the buildup to its first time as host.
—Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 10 June 2026
The series opens as City’s record-breaking run of 26 games unbeaten comes to a shuddering halt, with a string of defeats in late 2024 leaving Guardiola visibly shaken.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeats
Verb
-
These families show that love overcomes differences.—
Geoffrey Greif,
Baltimore Sun,
11 June 2026
-
As the realization that nothing—or no one—will be enough overcomes the final bridge, a flurry of drums gallop in and the track explodes into fireworks as Rodrigo screams her guts out.—
Quinn Moreland,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
That stint came to an end in April, though, following friendly losses to Egypt and Serbia.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
-
That has gotten him through all of the losses.—
Spencer Nusbaum,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Because these kinds of collapses often happen with little or no warning, any orangutans had very little time to escape.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
-
Sustain the releases across a wide enough area for long enough, and the population starves itself of offspring and collapses.—
Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Finally, Kim masters the steps and takes to the stage with confidence, as her family cheers her on!—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
-
Levy masters one hilarious perplexed comedic reaction after another as Nicky, a closeted pastor with a zany, highly dysfunctional family.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Moscow’s efforts to recruit students for its own expert drone units have been mired in distrust and setbacks, according to Stepanenko, after Russia’s Ministry of Defense committed some drone operators to frontline ground assaults.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
That aside, there has been precious little obvious progress and some notable setbacks.—
Anand Menon,
Time,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Researchers examine how teams analyze data, communicate, and make decisions during unexpected technical failures or emergency alarms.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
17 June 2026
-
Across the country, bitter winter cold snaps accelerate battery failures overnight.—
Karen Koehler,
Charlotte Observer,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The race is won by the team that beats their handicap speed by the greatest margin.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 June 2026
-
The infant’s heart beats into the night, like the thumping of a little giant, breaking rocks deep in the Mines of Moria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
According to prosecutors, who cited testimony and evidence at McCue's trial, the children allegedly suffered severe beatings and were forced to wear shock collars and stand naked on cinder blocks for hours or sometimes days at a time.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
-
Others targeted with beatings and forms of public shaming — including children — were accused of theft, drug trafficking or illegally selling tobacco.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeats. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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