as in canyon
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage
the cattle, once they were cornered in the defile, were quickly rounded up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to pollute
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
supplies of meat that had been defiled by maggots
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to violate
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect
art conservators were careful not to do anything that might defile the holy relic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of defile
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 July 2024
Amy Baker Harrison was indicted by a Stafford County grand jury on Monday for the first-degree murder of Jacqueline Lard, as well as abduction with the intent to defile, aggravated malicious wounding and breaking and entering with the intent to commit murder, according to the sheriff’s office.
—Amanda Jackson, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
When a young family member takes over the business, ethics go out the window as corpses are defiled, organs are sold, gold teeth are pulled, and people are maybe even murdered.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defile
Noun
One defiles realism, and the other refuses to let it out of its grip.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 July 2024
Amy Baker Harrison was indicted by a Stafford County grand jury on Monday for the first-degree murder of Jacqueline Lard, as well as abduction with the intent to defile, aggravated malicious wounding and breaking and entering with the intent to commit murder, according to the sheriff’s office.
—Amanda Jackson, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
Paintings whose reverence for Indigenous people had once shocked were now held in contempt, viewed as defiling those same people.
—Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
When a young family member takes over the business, ethics go out the window as corpses are defiled, organs are sold, gold teeth are pulled, and people are maybe even murdered.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defile
Noun
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Towering canyon walls rise on either side of the river, while the cave itself is a small, shadowed recess in the rock.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
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Badlands, North Dakota North Dakota’s Badlands is known for its rugged landscape, including sweeping hills, prairie grasses, canyons and rock formations, as well as native wildlife.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was reared in an environment polluted with drugs, gangs and violence.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
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In 2021 alone, the world produced more than 390 million tons of plastic annually, most of which continues to pollute the environment.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tuesday’s announcement comes after Israel accused Hamas of violating the truce by firing on Israeli forces in Rafah and reneging on promises to return missing hostage remains.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
29 Oct. 2025
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In a complaint filed in 2023, Gannett and the other plaintiffs accused Google of violating federal antitrust laws by abusing its dominant position to control and profit from the technology used by publishers to buy and sell ads across the internet.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Further down the gorge of TikTok depravity, there are things like TCC, or the True Crime Community, an online subculture that’s been tied to actual school shootings.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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As sublime as countertop donuts and as nourishing as a rack of girlie magazines, Clerks is a terrific movie gorge.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Leawood police fielded nearly 400 food-poisoning complaints and conducted about 130 interviews, a volume that briefly crashed the department’s records system, according to the Johnson County Post, KSHB 41 and KCTV5.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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Chloe then baked a cake poisoned with oleander leaves killing the owner’s wife and some children.—
Noreen Kompanik,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the world of Monster, a person who takes lives and desecrates corpses might someday be capable of redemption.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
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Trump’s order also directs administration officials to terminate or revoke visas if foreign nationals are found to have desecrated the flag.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In the Dominican Republic, 12 provinces are on red alert due to possible flooding of rivers, streams and ravines as well as flash floods and landslides.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 Oct. 2025
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His aged dog disappears and is later found dead at the bottom of a ravine.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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At the Racetrack Playa, a dry lake bed between the Cottonwood and Last Chance ranges, stones large and small slide across the valley floor, leaving trails in the sand.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
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Farther up, on Observatory Hill, tall cryptomeria trees were silhouetted in the darkening evening, and down in the valleys, lights winked on like reflections of the planets and stars appearing in the sky.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defile. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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