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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of defeats
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Birdville bounces back, defeats Grapevine Birdville lost 8-2 to District 6-5A frontrunner Richland on Tuesday.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2026
Behind standout efforts from Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez, the UCLA women’s basketball team defeats South Carolina for the NCAA national championship.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Cleaning with dirty tools defeats the purpose.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
The 49ers have gone to the playoffs in five of the past seven seasons, winning at least one game in each postseason trip, with four NFC Championship Game appearances and Super Bowl defeats in the 2019 and ’23 seasons.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026
If Mexico defeats Italy, they are guaranteed to move on, leaving the final spot between Team USA and Italy.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Learning from losing Anthony Edwards is stealing the superpowers of whoever defeats him.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
The only defeats the Raiders have this year were at the prestigious Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas just before Christmas, the second out-of-state trip the team took in December following a weekend jaunt to Arizona for a couple of games earlier in the month.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
Check out the vibes following defeats.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026
Continue reading … CONSTITUTIONAL CLASH — Colorado’s latest Supreme Court loss adds to growing string of culture war defeats.
—FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
After two defeats to Hamilton, Rosberg finally triumphed with the 2016 title.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The Senate refused to act on those plans last year, one of the few defeats suffered by the MAGA right.
—Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
Incumbent presidents generally don’t fare well in the mid-term elections, but Trump’s defeats could hand Democrats power to run Congress and impeach him again.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Ilya Mikheyev also scored for Chicago, which ended its four-game trip with a third-straight loss after resounding defeats to the Flyers and Rangers.
—CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Since then, the Comets’ four most recent overtime defeats came against the Sockers.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
Al Gore defeats George W Bush to become the 42nd President of the United States.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Birdville bounces back, defeats Grapevine Birdville lost 8-2 to District 6-5A frontrunner Richland on Tuesday.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2026
Behind standout efforts from Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez, the UCLA women’s basketball team defeats South Carolina for the NCAA national championship.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Cleaning with dirty tools defeats the purpose.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
The 49ers have gone to the playoffs in five of the past seven seasons, winning at least one game in each postseason trip, with four NFC Championship Game appearances and Super Bowl defeats in the 2019 and ’23 seasons.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2026
If Mexico defeats Italy, they are guaranteed to move on, leaving the final spot between Team USA and Italy.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Learning from losing Anthony Edwards is stealing the superpowers of whoever defeats him.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
The only defeats the Raiders have this year were at the prestigious Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas just before Christmas, the second out-of-state trip the team took in December following a weekend jaunt to Arizona for a couple of games earlier in the month.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff homer, another two-run shot and a double for the Rangers, who have lost six of nine with their back-to-back defeats at Dodger Stadium.
—ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
Check out the vibes following defeats.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026
Continue reading … CONSTITUTIONAL CLASH — Colorado’s latest Supreme Court loss adds to growing string of culture war defeats.
—FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
After two defeats to Hamilton, Rosberg finally triumphed with the 2016 title.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The Senate refused to act on those plans last year, one of the few defeats suffered by the MAGA right.
—Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
Incumbent presidents generally don’t fare well in the mid-term elections, but Trump’s defeats could hand Democrats power to run Congress and impeach him again.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Ilya Mikheyev also scored for Chicago, which ended its four-game trip with a third-straight loss after resounding defeats to the Flyers and Rangers.
—CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Since then, the Comets’ four most recent overtime defeats came against the Sockers.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeats
Verb
-
This proprietary approach overcomes challenges of surface treatment and dispersion associated with the material.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Leo consistently overcomes challenges such as low light, rapid movement, and split second moments to produce sharp, compelling images.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Good Jobs First report recommends that all states fully report their losses from data center tax breaks, including how those incentives affect local revenue streams.—
Kevin Hardy,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Despite dynamite starts from Taj Bradley and Bailey Ober on Saturday and Sunday, the Twins’ relievers blew saves on consecutive days, leading to backbreaking losses.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Marin stuck to her plan of staying close until a moment that changed everything with shocking swiftness — her changing her mind and going for the green on the par-5 13th for a go-ahead birdie, and Talley adding to the sad history of collapses on the back nine at the home of the Masters.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Making that declaration is risky, given the history of collapses by professional teams in this city.—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The future belongs to the developer who masters the ability to break down human expertise into reusable agent skills.—
Mohith Shrivastava,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
While China is poised to be at the forefront of development, this year’s half-marathon event was not without its setbacks.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Barring any setbacks, Yates could make his season debut for the Angels later this month.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
More recently, fans trying to buy tickets for major tours, like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, BTS, Bruce Springsteen, and Harry Styles have faced sky-high prices, system failures, and a lack of real alternatives.—
Letitia James,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Interestingly, the device proved highly successful, showing no safety issues or failures across all eight patients.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If Portland beats the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, the Blazers will secure their spot in the 7-8 play-in game on Tuesday in Phoenix against the Suns.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
If San Antonio beats Denver, for example, the Spurs would assure themselves of not having to face Oklahoma City or the Nuggets until the Western Conference finals.—
Tim Reynolds,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The new report also tracked an increase in antisemitic attacks that resulted in physical harm, including beatings and stone throwing.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Schiller can't forget the sick soundtrack that came with his daily beatings.—
Troy Roberts,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeats. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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