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
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 best showings in the continental tournament since then have been three semi-final defeats, in 1998 (the first since officially becoming DR Congo), 2015 and 2023.
—Adam Leventhal, New York Times, 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
The most important outcome of the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral primary may be that the Republican Party no longer accepts the legitimacy of election defeats.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 8 June 2026
In eight matches all-time, Landslaget has two wins, three draws and three losses, all of the defeats coming against Italy – in 1938, 1994 and ‘98.
—Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 7 June 2026
But tariff collections have begun to fall since the legal defeats.
—Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
The left tries to expand its map Progressive groups, still rebuilding from 2024 defeats, are hoping to get their candidates in Montana, New Jersey, and California through their primaries.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 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
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 best showings in the continental tournament since then have been three semi-final defeats, in 1998 (the first since officially becoming DR Congo), 2015 and 2023.
—Adam Leventhal, New York Times, 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
The most important outcome of the 2026 Los Angeles mayoral primary may be that the Republican Party no longer accepts the legitimacy of election defeats.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 8 June 2026
In eight matches all-time, Landslaget has two wins, three draws and three losses, all of the defeats coming against Italy – in 1938, 1994 and ‘98.
—Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 7 June 2026
But tariff collections have begun to fall since the legal defeats.
—Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
The left tries to expand its map Progressive groups, still rebuilding from 2024 defeats, are hoping to get their candidates in Montana, New Jersey, and California through their primaries.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeats
Verb
-
These families show that love overcomes differences.—
Geoffrey Greif,
Baltimore Sun,
11 June 2026
-
The innovative method overcomes the structural instability that usually prevents the formation of such ultra-small nanotubes.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 June 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
-
The worst record in the American League A season after setting the MLB record for the most losses in a single season (121), the White Sox were pacing for an encore at 23-49 on June 15.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
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
-
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
-
These can be peak earning years but also fraught ones that can carry a heightened risk of career and health setbacks, in addition to competing priorities of supporting children and aging parents.—
Chris Taylor,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
-
Because the property tax cycle relies on handoffs from one office to another, setbacks can easily snowball.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Vallejo’s Broadway Project finished years late and massively over budget after contractor failures and internal disputes.—
Michele Steeb,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
-
But most of its failures are subtler, more insidious.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Well, no — football does not work in a ladder system where rankings swap if one team beats another.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
7 July 2025
-
Authenticity always beats polish.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Watching Nate slowly meet consequences in beatings from mobsters, while Cassie could barely muster concern, was Levinson succeeding at gallows humor.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeats. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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