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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defied
Carvalho, citing guidance from medical leaders, defied the governor’s order and issued a mask mandate for students.
—
Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Our goal in launching the Changemakers list in 2024 was to highlight leaders who have defied the odds.
—Julia Boorstin, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2026
At least in the world of counterfactuals, there is an alternative reality in which a Democratic President, during the nineteen-nineties or the two-thousands, defied the deficit hawks and also adopted a more skeptical approach to globalization.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Duncan defied his father’s wishes and broke off an engagement with Lyonel Baratheon’s daughter to marry a commoner, Jaehaerys and Shaera had a traditionally incestuous Targaryen relationship, and Daeron died in battle.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Some candidates defied common ideological expectations.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Fueled by oil and gas exports, Russia defied Western predictions of economic collapse, instead becoming the 9th-biggest economy in the world in 2025, according to the International Monetary Fund, ahead of Canada and Brazil.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
And 20-year-old Alysa Liu defied the odds to become the first American woman to win an individual Olympic figure skating gold medal in 24 years.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
This kind of defied the purpose of Peter asking Rose to stay away for her own protection and so she won’t be used to get to him.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Our goal in launching the Changemakers list in 2024 was to highlight leaders who have defied the odds.
—Julia Boorstin, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2026
At least in the world of counterfactuals, there is an alternative reality in which a Democratic President, during the nineteen-nineties or the two-thousands, defied the deficit hawks and also adopted a more skeptical approach to globalization.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Duncan defied his father’s wishes and broke off an engagement with Lyonel Baratheon’s daughter to marry a commoner, Jaehaerys and Shaera had a traditionally incestuous Targaryen relationship, and Daeron died in battle.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Some candidates defied common ideological expectations.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Fueled by oil and gas exports, Russia defied Western predictions of economic collapse, instead becoming the 9th-biggest economy in the world in 2025, according to the International Monetary Fund, ahead of Canada and Brazil.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
And 20-year-old Alysa Liu defied the odds to become the first American woman to win an individual Olympic figure skating gold medal in 24 years.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
This kind of defied the purpose of Peter asking Rose to stay away for her own protection and so she won’t be used to get to him.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defied
Verb
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Hours after the shooting, Noem defended the ICE officer who shot Good, saying the woman had blocked federal officers with her SUV and disobeyed orders to get out of her vehicle.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
9 Jan. 2026
-
One aviation expert argued that IndiGo not only disobeyed the regulations, but also increased its domestic flights without increasing crew and pilots.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Because she was believed to be so evolved, no one dared challenge her authority.—
Blair Glaser,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Stone, who also received a best leading actress nod, dared to bare in a floor-length black halter dress with a dramatic keyhole cutout that extended almost to her navel and also featured a long train.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Marcos’s commanders, confronted with throngs of nuns, priests and ordinary civilians pleading, weeping and kneeling in prayer, refused orders to open fire and clear the streets, and Marcos subsequently fled to exile in Hawaii.—
Keith B. Richburg,
Washington Post,
25 Feb. 2026
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The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said Collier was shot and killed by Lower Merion Township Police when officers confronted him in Bala Cynwyd Wednesday morning.—
Joe Holden,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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During the stop, officers tried to take the driver into custody for possession of narcotics, but the suspect resisted and started a fight with the officers.—
Briauna Brown,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had initially resisted calls to set up a Royal Commission, saying the process would take years, which drew criticism from Jewish groups and victims’ families.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Injuries over the past year may have left him unavailable for selection, but there were times last season when his claims were ignored and others like Newcastle United’s Dan Burn and Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah (now at Bayer Leverkusen) were selected.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
For months, Bill Clinton, 79, and Hillary Clinton, 78, largely ignored the matter in public but that became harder to sustain in December when the former president was featured prominently in the first batch of Epstein files.—
STEVEN SLOAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Alan Morrison, who was the lead attorney in a case that challenged the blanket steel tariffs Trump put in place during his first term, understands why so many businesses have shied away from this kind of face-off.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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The laws have been challenged by families representing a variety of religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and clergy, in addition to nonreligious families.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the weeks since, NYC and the surrounding areas have faced frigid temperatures, which has allowed for the white stuff to linger.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Brazil, which faced duties as high as 50%, along with Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa, would face lower rates, noted Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Images of piles of body bags and videos of government agents in Iran firing indiscriminately on protesters opposed to the country’s repressive regime have left experts and world leaders alike struggling to investigate just how many people the ayatollah’s forces have killed in recent weeks.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
In a Thursday court filing, the defense opposed a recent prosecution motion to treat the case as a grand conspiracy rather than a simple snap protest.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defied. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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