1
as in disobeyed
to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of
in those days a woman was brave if she defied fashion and wore white after Labor Day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in confronted
to oppose (something hostile or dangerous) with firmness or courage
a rescue team willing to defy the raging storm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in resisted
to refuse to give in to
a bicyclist who regularly defies illness and infirmity in order to compete in races
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defied
Meanwhile, Republican Representative Thomas Massie has repeatedly defied party leadership in pushing for the full release of the Epstein files.
—
Martha McHardy Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
On Tuesday, the protests ballooned as people of all ages defied curfews and came out into the streets to protest the government’s bloody crackdown.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday as anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and clashed with police, a day after 19 people died in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.
—Gopal Sharma, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Unstoppable Based on the underdog story, Unstoppable chronicles the life of wrestler Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome), who defied the odds of being born with one leg to win a national championship for Arizona State.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
In November 2004, off the coast of San Diego, multiple US Navy pilots from the USS Nimitz Strike Group spotted a white object resembling a Tic Tac breath mint, maneuvering in ways that defied aerodynamics.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
The pass from the Japanese winger was slightly overhit, but the gliding running style and a marginal change of direction by last summer’s £25million signing from Mainz defied the covering Rayan Ait-Nouri’s attempt to intercept.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025
Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, of the LDP, has defied calls to step down after his coalition received a shellacking in three consecutive elections under his watch.
—Mireya Solís, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Those expectations were defied Friday, and the Eagles gave Ryan a war.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2025
Martha McHardy Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
On Tuesday, the protests ballooned as people of all ages defied curfews and came out into the streets to protest the government’s bloody crackdown.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday as anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and clashed with police, a day after 19 people died in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.
—Gopal Sharma, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Unstoppable Based on the underdog story, Unstoppable chronicles the life of wrestler Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome), who defied the odds of being born with one leg to win a national championship for Arizona State.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
In November 2004, off the coast of San Diego, multiple US Navy pilots from the USS Nimitz Strike Group spotted a white object resembling a Tic Tac breath mint, maneuvering in ways that defied aerodynamics.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
The pass from the Japanese winger was slightly overhit, but the gliding running style and a marginal change of direction by last summer’s £25million signing from Mainz defied the covering Rayan Ait-Nouri’s attempt to intercept.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025
Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, of the LDP, has defied calls to step down after his coalition received a shellacking in three consecutive elections under his watch.
—Mireya Solís, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025
Those expectations were defied Friday, and the Eagles gave Ryan a war.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defied
Verb
-
Her collectedness collapses as Johnson turns the joke into a physical act-out, becoming almost insulted that this earthquake dared to frighten her.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Wu, who worked under Menino at City Hall, has not taken the same tack and has actually alienated herself from a segment of the community that has dared to challenge her, like those opposing her White Stadium rebuilding plan.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tensions rose when 51-year-old Alfonso Ayala confronted Wilson, sparking a heated exchange that quickly turned physical, the station reported.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Fortunately, there are straightforward ways to reduce your chances of being confronted with violent or disturbing videos.—
Annie Margaret,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Homeland Security officials said Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez resisted arrest and dragged an officer in his car.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a man who resisted arrest and dragged the officer during a vehicle stop in a Chicago suburb Friday morning, according to the Department of Homeland Security.—
Priscilla Alvarez,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The evening was slightly chaotic and quickly unsynchronized as the first dinner group, which included Sunisa Lee, Fabolous and more, ignored initial invitations to sit in lieu of sunset views of the East River from the 63rd floor balcony.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Mendoza ignored what her contract said.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
LaFleur challenged a 37-yard pass to Malik Heath that was initially ruled incomplete.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Research conducted at Zvejnieki has often challenged longheld assumptions about gender roles in prehistoric Europe.—
Sarah Durn,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Jackson faced several setbacks this season but proved her fitness during the 100-meter dash rounds the past two days.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
This operation faced some challenges due to warmer weather and lower relative humidity.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
However, Hungary and Slovakia are the EU's top purchasers of Russian energy and have opposed efforts by Brussels to phase it out.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
ByteDance, TikTok's current owner, which in the past has opposed the sale, did not immediately respond to Ars' request to comment.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defied. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share