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
Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 21 May 2026
Levin said the new policy effectively defeats the purpose of unannounced oversight visits.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 12 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
On the back of four Premier League defeats in a row and a squad pockmarked by injuries, some kind of change was required.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026
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
Cleaning with dirty tools defeats the purpose.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Fernando Ramirez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
For the British in North America, the war begun in 1754 had included a series of defeats, a relentless struggle against people who knew the terrain and who linked arms with the French.
—Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
In both defeats, the Valkyries shot sub-40% from the field and below 35% from the 3-point line.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
There have been some painful defeats to Arsenal, Fulham and Chelsea, arguments between the players and the fans, and three different head coaches.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Carter’s twin defeats in 1977 and in 1980 did not create the politics of gas tax holidays.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Taken together, the defeats say something larger about the direction of the Republican Party.
—Averi Harper, ABC News, 20 May 2026
Crying babies in hippie attire accompany John’s discontent with the counterculture’s retreat from politics after multiple defeats in the ’70s.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
The defeats have been stinging.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Verb
Meanwhile, Din defeats Moff Gideon in single combat, earning possession of the Darksaber.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 21 May 2026
Levin said the new policy effectively defeats the purpose of unannounced oversight visits.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 12 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
On the back of four Premier League defeats in a row and a squad pockmarked by injuries, some kind of change was required.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2026
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
Cleaning with dirty tools defeats the purpose.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
The Stars have lost four of their last five matches, getting outscored 11-0 in the four defeats.
—Fernando Ramirez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
For the British in North America, the war begun in 1754 had included a series of defeats, a relentless struggle against people who knew the terrain and who linked arms with the French.
—Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
In both defeats, the Valkyries shot sub-40% from the field and below 35% from the 3-point line.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
There have been some painful defeats to Arsenal, Fulham and Chelsea, arguments between the players and the fans, and three different head coaches.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Carter’s twin defeats in 1977 and in 1980 did not create the politics of gas tax holidays.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Taken together, the defeats say something larger about the direction of the Republican Party.
—Averi Harper, ABC News, 20 May 2026
Crying babies in hippie attire accompany John’s discontent with the counterculture’s retreat from politics after multiple defeats in the ’70s.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
The defeats have been stinging.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeats
Verb
-
As the realization that nothing—or no one—will be enough overcomes the final bridge, a flurry of drums gallop in and the track explodes into fireworks as Rodrigo screams her guts out.—
Quinn Moreland,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2026
-
The system also overcomes the volatile risks of gas storage entirely by chemically locking hydrogen into a solid metal hydride during both charging and discharging.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
In Golden State’s two losses to Indiana and Chicago, the Valkyries struggled when defenses pressed up against their guards and forced them to take tough shots at the rim with the shot clock running down.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
-
The Iran combat losses come amid a larger review by political leaders at the Pentagon to see if all military roles should remain open to women.—
Tara Copp The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Research also links last year’s massive colony collapses to parasitic varroa mites that feed on bee larvae and transfer viruses to hives.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
-
Its teams in 2007-08, 2013-14 and 2022-23 were in first place for long stretches of the season, only for late collapses to allow the title to slip away.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 May 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
-
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
Noun
-
But on July 1, after years of highs, lows and financial setbacks, Connie & Ted’s will close.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
-
Early setbacks — including the contraction of teams like the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny — highlighted the league’s vulnerability.—
Clemente Lisi,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
Yet those cables currently carry less than 1 percent of global international bandwidth, according to TeleGeography, a telecom research firm, and the network as a whole is engineered to route around routine failures.—
Ramin Skibba,
Scientific American,
27 May 2026
-
That gap explains a large share of AI failures.—
Usman Shuja,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
If Pereira beats Gane and becomes a three-division champion — something no one has done in UFC history — does that crown him the greatest of all time?—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
In a fragmented world, clarity beats noise.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Sources familiar with the investigation said gang leaders forced inmates to vote for González-Colón or face brutal beatings, or be cut off from the drugs they were addicted to.—
Raquel Rutledge,
ProPublica,
26 May 2026
-
About 150 cops were hospitalized after brutal beatings by those criminal rioters.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeats. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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