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
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
South Carroll defeats Rising Sun in the Class 1A final during the 2026 MPSSAA Dual Wrestling State Championships at North Point High School on Saturday, Feb 14.
—Brian T. Krista, Baltimore Sun, 14 Feb. 2026
And that defeats the entire purpose of the change.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Potter replaced Jon Dahl Tomasson after the country finished bottom of a World Cup qualifying group involving Switzerland, Kosovo and Slovenia with a record of two draws and four defeats.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 1 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
The Comets entered the final weekend hopeful to win the MASL Shield, but a pair of overtime defeats to the San Diego Sockers took the wind out of their sails.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Vegas for the first time will finish a season with more defeats than victories.
—ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
In the wake of Republican defeats in a string of special elections − including a Democratic victory in the Florida state house race to represent the president's home district − the record-setting protests were one more omen of upheaval ahead in November's midterm elections.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
Two of America’s largest tech companies suffered stunning defeats in court this week, sustaining early jolts in what could prove to be a seismic shift in how social media operates amid a new landscape of legal risk.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Meta had the worst week in the group, dropping more than 11% after two stinging court defeats added to the social media company's challenges.
—Ari Levy, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
South Carroll defeats Rising Sun in the Class 1A final during the 2026 MPSSAA Dual Wrestling State Championships at North Point High School on Saturday, Feb 14.
—Brian T. Krista, Baltimore Sun, 14 Feb. 2026
And that defeats the entire purpose of the change.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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
Potter replaced Jon Dahl Tomasson after the country finished bottom of a World Cup qualifying group involving Switzerland, Kosovo and Slovenia with a record of two draws and four defeats.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 1 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
The Comets entered the final weekend hopeful to win the MASL Shield, but a pair of overtime defeats to the San Diego Sockers took the wind out of their sails.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Vegas for the first time will finish a season with more defeats than victories.
—ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
In the wake of Republican defeats in a string of special elections − including a Democratic victory in the Florida state house race to represent the president's home district − the record-setting protests were one more omen of upheaval ahead in November's midterm elections.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
Two of America’s largest tech companies suffered stunning defeats in court this week, sustaining early jolts in what could prove to be a seismic shift in how social media operates amid a new landscape of legal risk.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Meta had the worst week in the group, dropping more than 11% after two stinging court defeats added to the social media company's challenges.
—Ari Levy, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeats
Verb
-
This overcomes a key limitation in the field, and could help improve technologies that use sunlight to produce clean fuels and chemicals.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
3 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
-
Asia-Pacific markets whipsawed in volatile trading on Tuesday, with major indices flipping to losses in the morning session, as uncertainty surrounding the war weighs on investor sentiment.—
Hugh Leask,Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Researchers argue that such systems could produce far more energy per unit area than terrestrial solar farms, as orbiting panels operate without atmospheric losses or cloud cover.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
6 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
-
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
-
Kravitz masters the concept of blending genres, mixing crystal light fixtures and an exceptionally rare $45,000 leather panel bed with artisanal pieces and textures in his bedding and rugs.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After missing 27 consecutive games with a sore right knee, days of rehab and setbacks, that simple gesture said it all.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Getafe's only setbacks recently were 1-0 losses to Sevilla at home and to Atletico Madrid away.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In addition to reinforcing the fiduciary standards that are already in place for community associations, this will help to establish stronger grounds for claims involving unilateral acts by directors, inadequate reserve planning, inconsistent rules enforcement, or failures in management oversight.—
Evonne Andris,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The bluntest assessment of Republican failures during this week's elections in Wisconsin came from one of their own.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Enraged, Misha's boyfriend barrels across the room and beats Charlie up, and Emma flees the banquet hall.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But nothing beats their monthly visits to the High Museum of Art in Midtown Atlanta.—
Monique John,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Schiller can't forget the sick soundtrack that came with his daily beatings.—
Troy Roberts,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Examples of petty beatings also abound, like footage from December showing two guys in Leeds, UK tossing a delivery robot into a bush, or video of one bot cracked open and left for dead on a Los Angeles sidewalk.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeats. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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