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
Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
In these sparsely populated spaces, the mountain always defeats the human, instilling a deep respect for the environment.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
The Vigenère cipher ingeniously defeats straightforward frequency analysis because not all E’s, for example, will get mapped to the same letter.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
True What color does the Honmoon turn when HUNTR/X defeats the Saja Boys?
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025
See video … WATCH CHARLIE HURT – Shutting the government down defeats the whole purpose of the Democratic Party.
—FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Mighty Bhima, strongest of the Pandava brothers, defeats Duryodhana by breaking his thighs and crushing his genitals with his mace, literally hitting him below the belt.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Providing a narrow network or mail-order-only option defeats the purpose.
—Wendy Barnes, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Getting vaccinated too early defeats the purpose.
—Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Andy Jones, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
The Nighthawks were 3-17 across their first two seasons in Class 3A, with the majority of their defeats coming via running clock.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
In the 2017 elections, Republicans suffered sharp defeats in the Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races, with Virginia Democrats sweeping all three statewide offices and winning a majority in the state General Assembly.
—Jamelle Bouie, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
But voters who showed up to the polls on Tuesday had a different point of view and delivered stinging defeats to Republicans.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
The Boilermakers have been consistently resistant against the pass this season and haven’t conceded more than two throwing passes in any single game, while the last two defeats against Michigan and Rutgers came by a combined margin of just eight points.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
Although Ukraine for now is still maintaining a defense, the fall of Pokrovsk would be one of the most serious defeats Ukraine has suffered since March, when its troops were forced to retreat from Russia's Kursk region.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2025
Players must compete again the next day, leaving no time to dwell on defeats, while the organization doesn’t take victories for granted either.
—Karl Moore, Forbes.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
According to Politico, a landslide election generally refers to a race in which the winning candidate defeats their opponent by a margin of at least 10 percentage points.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
In these sparsely populated spaces, the mountain always defeats the human, instilling a deep respect for the environment.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
The Vigenère cipher ingeniously defeats straightforward frequency analysis because not all E’s, for example, will get mapped to the same letter.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
True What color does the Honmoon turn when HUNTR/X defeats the Saja Boys?
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025
See video … WATCH CHARLIE HURT – Shutting the government down defeats the whole purpose of the Democratic Party.
—FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Mighty Bhima, strongest of the Pandava brothers, defeats Duryodhana by breaking his thighs and crushing his genitals with his mace, literally hitting him below the belt.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Providing a narrow network or mail-order-only option defeats the purpose.
—Wendy Barnes, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Getting vaccinated too early defeats the purpose.
—Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
Liverpool have taken positive steps forward in their past two games, winning both following a run of six defeats in seven.
—Andy Jones, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
The Nighthawks were 3-17 across their first two seasons in Class 3A, with the majority of their defeats coming via running clock.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
In the 2017 elections, Republicans suffered sharp defeats in the Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races, with Virginia Democrats sweeping all three statewide offices and winning a majority in the state General Assembly.
—Jamelle Bouie, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
But voters who showed up to the polls on Tuesday had a different point of view and delivered stinging defeats to Republicans.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
The Boilermakers have been consistently resistant against the pass this season and haven’t conceded more than two throwing passes in any single game, while the last two defeats against Michigan and Rutgers came by a combined margin of just eight points.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
Although Ukraine for now is still maintaining a defense, the fall of Pokrovsk would be one of the most serious defeats Ukraine has suffered since March, when its troops were forced to retreat from Russia's Kursk region.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2025
Players must compete again the next day, leaving no time to dwell on defeats, while the organization doesn’t take victories for granted either.
—Karl Moore, Forbes.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeats
Verb
-
Quick and direct, this young adult novel in verse about a closeted Black boy who overcomes fear and shame through the power of poetry reads almost like a journal entry.—
Amber McBride,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Inflatable module overcomes launch constraints Orbital platforms are typically constrained by limitations related to the launch vehicle.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
When the president’s approval rating falls below 50 percent, the losses tend to be more severe.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
But Alexander appeared in only two games with the Ravens before the trade — two losses to the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The memories of those late-game collapses crept in when the Sabres’ 4-2 lead became 4-3 early in the third period.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Credit has become a hot topic in the market lately due to the notable collapses of auto parts manufacturer First Brands Group and the subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This storied sandwich is served each year at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia; and many have long tried to replicate the recipe, which seemingly masters the perfect ratio of ingredients for classic egg salad.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
23 Aug. 2025
-
Focus is difficult and hardly anyone masters the skill.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Despite major strides in the right direction, the push for a greener future has been dealt several devastating blows from a fraught supply chain, economic headwinds and political setbacks.—
Katherine Fung,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
It's been almost eight years since Tesla first announced the next-gen Roadster, and the project has been beset by delays and setbacks ever since.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
1 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Employers can create weekly forums where employees can share both AI successes and failures without judgment, then reallocate budgets away from underperforming AI experiments to pilots that are showing success.—
Feon Ang,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
One form Asks whether the tree appears To exhibit a history of failures.—
MaKshya Tolbert,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
When the cooler months roll around, nothing beats the hearty flavors of this classic combination.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Snap beats revenue expectations and lifts guidance.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But experiences similar to what Khaled shared—including extended kneeling, beatings, attacks by military dogs, and a lack of medical care—have been reported by human-rights groups, the United Nations, and news organizations.—
Mosab Abu Toha,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
-
From at least 1985 to 2005, the Latin Kings terrorized Milwaukee's south side through shootings, beatings, kidnappings, arson, drug dealing and other crimes, according to court documents.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeats. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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