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
William A. Haseltine,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Brazil defeats Japan in the final minute, 2-1 Brazil is through to the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after a last-minute goal broke Japanese hearts in Houston in the first game of the day.
—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
29 June 2026
The player uses a stubby wooden bat shaped like a small frying pan to try to scoop it back, but the geometry defeats her.
—
Mark Rice-Oxley,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 June 2026
Which side of a sun shade faces out Not using a sunshade properly almost defeats the purpose of using one at all.
—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
Meanwhile, Brazil is preparing for a presidential election that could push the country back to the right if Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, defeats President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
—
ABC News,
24 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
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
2 July 2026
At one point in the 1980s, a local news article reported that the district attorney’s office had suffered nine trial defeats in a row.
—
Joaquin Sapien,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
Uzbekistan's debut at the World Cup ended in three straight defeats.
—
CBS News,
28 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
Verb
The cocktail also remained effective against viral variants known to evade single-antibody treatments, demonstrating that combining two antibodies can overcome resistance that defeats either one alone.
—
William A. Haseltine,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Brazil defeats Japan in the final minute, 2-1 Brazil is through to the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after a last-minute goal broke Japanese hearts in Houston in the first game of the day.
—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
29 June 2026
The player uses a stubby wooden bat shaped like a small frying pan to try to scoop it back, but the geometry defeats her.
—
Mark Rice-Oxley,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 June 2026
Which side of a sun shade faces out Not using a sunshade properly almost defeats the purpose of using one at all.
—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
Meanwhile, Brazil is preparing for a presidential election that could push the country back to the right if Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, defeats President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
—
ABC News,
24 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
Noun
Between 2012 and 2017, Nadal suffered seven shock defeats at Grand Slams before the quarterfinals.
—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
2 July 2026
At one point in the 1980s, a local news article reported that the district attorney’s office had suffered nine trial defeats in a row.
—
Joaquin Sapien,
ProPublica,
30 June 2026
Uzbekistan's debut at the World Cup ended in three straight defeats.
—
CBS News,
28 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeats
Verb
-
And a strangeness suddenly overcomes me.
-
These families show that love overcomes differences.
Noun
-
Monday’s game will be the Sparks’ first contest since consecutive blowout losses, 125-97 to Toronto on June 25 and 111-87 to Indiana on June 27.
-
The Sox found a way to bounce back after back-to-back walk-off losses.
Noun
-
Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced.
-
First responders handled two rescues in 24 hours after workers were trapped in separate construction trench collapses in Oakland County, Michigan.
Verb
-
The industry is in the middle of a transition from copper interconnects to optical solutions, and the company that masters low-latency, high-bandwidth data movement holds a structural advantage.
-
Finally, Kim masters the steps and takes to the stage with confidence, as her family cheers her on!
Noun
-
The fair has already seen a series of setbacks that include cancellations from artists on the lineup, sparse crowds, electricity issues and even melted ice cream.
-
But for many of the organization’s other pitching prospects in recent seasons, injury setbacks have been especially difficult to overcome.
Noun
-
According to Castillo, one of the most significant failures has been the tendency to treat many squatter complaints as civil disputes rather than criminal investigations.
-
Spence also appears to be absorbing the blame for broader failures, with Thomas Tuchel’s touchline frustrations obvious and — for a player still establishing himself at this level — that scrutiny is unlikely to help.
Verb
-
Fresh salsa always beats jarred, but this fruity version has an unusual twist.
-
Of course, that still beats waiting for Windows 11’s big yearly update in the fall.
Noun
-
Withstanding territorial beatings from rival lions.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Defeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeats. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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