1
as in to disobey
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to confront
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 to resist
to refuse to give in to
a bicyclist who regularly defies illness and infirmity in order to compete in races
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of defy
Footwear trends are typically short-lived, yet Timberland’s work boot has managed to defy the norm.
—
Riley Jones, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
Democrats have spent millions of dollars trying to unseat him but – with one exception in 2018 – Valadao has defied the odds by winning in a majority-Latino district where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans.
—Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Trump signed an executive order to prohibit schools from allowing biological males to play in girls' sports in February, but the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has persistently defied it.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The storyline follows soldiers Heikki and Pauli who take their first steps toward adulthood in the unforgiving expanse of the Arctic Circle, and interpreter Saara Vainio who leaves her husband for German officer Duisberg, defying both convention and country.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defy
Riley Jones, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
Democrats have spent millions of dollars trying to unseat him but – with one exception in 2018 – Valadao has defied the odds by winning in a majority-Latino district where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans.
—Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Trump signed an executive order to prohibit schools from allowing biological males to play in girls' sports in February, but the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has persistently defied it.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The storyline follows soldiers Heikki and Pauli who take their first steps toward adulthood in the unforgiving expanse of the Arctic Circle, and interpreter Saara Vainio who leaves her husband for German officer Duisberg, defying both convention and country.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defy
Verb
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Harvick said the agency gave lawful orders for the crowd to move back, which were disobeyed.—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
20 Oct. 2025
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In Missouri, disobeying traffic lights is considered a moving violation.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Instead, these rather daring verses were composed by a Hieronymite nun for her beloved vicereine, the wife of the Spanish king’s representative in New Spain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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One way Flores capitalized was by sending LB Eric Wilson at Jahmyr Gibbs routinely, daring him to pick up blitzes.—
Colton Pouncy,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Precedents for pardon Maidstone’s campaign follows similar efforts elsewhere in the United Kingdom to confront historical injustices.—
James Frater,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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In communities of all kinds, voters in their 20s and 30s are confronting a financial reality of rising costs, mounting debt and minimal wage growth.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Epstein has resisted the obvious move to monetize it.—
Patrick Iversen,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The family—an ambivalent institution bar none—shapes us, and yet our individuality resists that shaping.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The lawsuit alleges Parker ignored concerns raised by several teachers and staff members, including that the student may have had a gun in his possession hours before the shooting.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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In fact, they’d merely been habituated, the way a bird learns to ignore a rhino.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The rise of autocratic Russia and China has challenged this global order.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Kimberly-Clark has been attempting to challenge the dominance of consumer goliath Procter & Gamble, whose business spans all drugstore aisles, including cold and digestion medicines.—
NPR,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Air Mail’s fate shows that even the masters of the old form faced major headwinds when trying to navigate the new media landscape.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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As the candy bowls linger from Halloween and holiday treats start to roll in, your teeth face a marathon of sugar exposure.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Kentucky Republican Rand Paul has opposed the legislation on multiple occasions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
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The group exhausts and irritates opposing pitchers.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defy. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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