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
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
But the governor’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year would limit companies’ ability to claim tax credits, which the entertainment groups argue defeats the purpose of the expansion.
—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
19 June 2026
In Wednesday’s 7-2 loss to the Giants (the first of two Braves defeats on that day), Kim went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.
—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
19 June 2026
That will do it England defeats Croatia 4-2 in a World Cup Group L match at AT&T Stadium.
—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
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
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
Unfortunately, all Bills fans remember how those ended – four straight defeats.
—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2026
The group has already seen a loss of support from other segments of Lebanese society as a result of its loss of prestige from defeats at the hands of Israel.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 June 2026
There have been notable exceptions to Trump's strategy — and notable defeats.
—
Stephen Fowler,
NPR,
23 June 2026
The threat to Starmer's premiership has been building for months following bruising defeats for his party in May local and regional elections.
—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
Starmer dragged Labour toward the political center after taking over from veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, who led Labour to election defeats in 2017 and 2019.
—
ABC News,
22 June 2026
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
Verb
What will most likely play out at Night of Champions is that Rhodes somehow retains his WWE Championship while Uso defeats Femi to win the KOTR, likely due to interference from Brock Lesnar.
—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
But the governor’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year would limit companies’ ability to claim tax credits, which the entertainment groups argue defeats the purpose of the expansion.
—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
19 June 2026
In Wednesday’s 7-2 loss to the Giants (the first of two Braves defeats on that day), Kim went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.
—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
19 June 2026
That will do it England defeats Croatia 4-2 in a World Cup Group L match at AT&T Stadium.
—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
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
Noun
Widely tipped to make it out of Group D, Vincenzo Montella’s side are already out of the competition following back-to-back defeats to Australia and Paraguay.
—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
Unfortunately, all Bills fans remember how those ended – four straight defeats.
—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2026
The group has already seen a loss of support from other segments of Lebanese society as a result of its loss of prestige from defeats at the hands of Israel.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 June 2026
There have been notable exceptions to Trump's strategy — and notable defeats.
—
Stephen Fowler,
NPR,
23 June 2026
The threat to Starmer's premiership has been building for months following bruising defeats for his party in May local and regional elections.
—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
Starmer dragged Labour toward the political center after taking over from veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, who led Labour to election defeats in 2017 and 2019.
—
ABC News,
22 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeats
Verb
-
And a strangeness suddenly overcomes me.
-
These families show that love overcomes differences.
Noun
-
Many of the attacks targeted energy infrastructure and commercial sites, causing billions of dollars of economic losses and shattering their image as a safe haven for foreign travel and investment.
-
Bond puts increase in value when bond prices fall and interest rates rise, allowing investors to offset losses elsewhere in their portfolios if borrowing costs jump unexpectedly.
Noun
-
Oh, and a few minutes later, Beulah suffers what looks to be a heart attack or stroke and collapses.
-
Because these kinds of collapses often happen with little or no warning, any orangutans had very little time to escape.
Verb
-
Finally, Kim masters the steps and takes to the stage with confidence, as her family cheers her on!
-
Levy masters one hilarious perplexed comedic reaction after another as Nicky, a closeted pastor with a zany, highly dysfunctional family.
Noun
-
After several players, including Addison Barger and Anthony Santander, dealt with setbacks, Daulton Varsho recently left a game with left wrist discomfort, adding to the team's woes.
-
Retirement often arrives suddenly and unexpectedly, triggered by health setbacks or corporate downsizing.
Noun
-
The northwestern states of Aragua, Carabobo and Falcón have also been affected, with some areas reporting power failures, Rodríguez said.
-
But Ramaphosa also conceded that there had been failures in South Africa's border control.
Verb
-
England or Ghana are the likeliest candidates unless group mate Panama, who’s already eliminated, beats England on Saturday — in which case rip up your predictions and embrace the chaos.
-
On the verify level, one action beats everything else combined.
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.
-
Others targeted with beatings and forms of public shaming — including children — were accused of theft, drug trafficking or illegally selling tobacco.
Cite this Entry
“Defeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeats. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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