1
as in disobeying
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
as in daring
to invite (someone) to take part in a contest or to perform a feat
after missing the target, she defied her boyfriend to do better
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in confronting
to oppose (something hostile or dangerous) with firmness or courage
a rescue team willing to defy the raging storm
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4
as in resisting
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 defying
The Thunder come off their first championship since the franchise left Seattle after the 2007-08 season, while Dallas couldn’t get out of the play-in tournament last year before defying the lottery odds to end up with the top pick in the NBA draft to take Flagg.
—
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Also defying the unwritten rule that black and blue don’t go together, the shoe was styled with a navy blue turtleneck sweater, black leggings, and a dark miniskirt.
—María Diez, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025
Ideally, Amorim wants his centre-backs to be aggressive in winning possession but perhaps, as against Slot, there is merit in defying the expectations of a rival manager, and instead staying compact in a low block.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Last month, comedian and actor Megan Stalter made headlines for defying red carpet tradition by wearing a pair of blue Levi’s jeans and a white T-shirt to the 2025 Emmys.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
Suzuki, whose job depends on defying those expectations, goes into the season with a mix of optimism and realism.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025
The celebrated sculptor, whose angular, gravity-defying figures are icons of modern art, spent his life exploring form, balance, and the spaces in between.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2025
An unexpected and painful $619 million tax expense from Brazil knocked the operating margin for Netflix‘ September quarter, defying Wall Street’s upbeat guidance and hitting the stock, which fell more than 6%.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
At the Academy Museum cocktail party preceding it, the awards circuit still had its new-car smell; everyone seemed a little more excited to slip into their tuxedos and gravity-defying gowns (or, in the case of Kim Kardashian, a head-encompassing beige silk scarf).
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2025
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Also defying the unwritten rule that black and blue don’t go together, the shoe was styled with a navy blue turtleneck sweater, black leggings, and a dark miniskirt.
—María Diez, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025
Ideally, Amorim wants his centre-backs to be aggressive in winning possession but perhaps, as against Slot, there is merit in defying the expectations of a rival manager, and instead staying compact in a low block.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Last month, comedian and actor Megan Stalter made headlines for defying red carpet tradition by wearing a pair of blue Levi’s jeans and a white T-shirt to the 2025 Emmys.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
Suzuki, whose job depends on defying those expectations, goes into the season with a mix of optimism and realism.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025
The celebrated sculptor, whose angular, gravity-defying figures are icons of modern art, spent his life exploring form, balance, and the spaces in between.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2025
An unexpected and painful $619 million tax expense from Brazil knocked the operating margin for Netflix‘ September quarter, defying Wall Street’s upbeat guidance and hitting the stock, which fell more than 6%.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
At the Academy Museum cocktail party preceding it, the awards circuit still had its new-car smell; everyone seemed a little more excited to slip into their tuxedos and gravity-defying gowns (or, in the case of Kim Kardashian, a head-encompassing beige silk scarf).
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defying
Verb
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In Missouri, disobeying traffic lights is considered a moving violation.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
15 Oct. 2025
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The next day, Alex begs Mia to put her on TMS to talk about the deep fake, but Mia won’t, because that would be directly disobeying Stella and Celine’s order for Alex to keep quiet.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Photos shared by the brand Seventy One Gin — which was serving up golden martinis throughout the evening — showed the mom-of-four rocking two daring outfits for the occasion.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ – Test yourself on daring discoveries and classic coffee.—
,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Solving a problem as large as climate change requires confronting uncomfortable truths.—
Anna Broughel,
Forbes.com,
29 Oct. 2025
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Battling ghosts means confronting death, and throughout Deliver Me from Nowhere, there are long shots of Springsteen staring at elderly men.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Booth was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, assault and three counts of resisting, assaulting or obstructing police.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
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She was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, felonious assault and assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, investigators said.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Over the summer the FDA convened a panel on the safety of certain antidepressants in pregnancy that tried to cast doubt on this research, ignoring the real harms of not treating depression or anxiety for pregnant people themselves and for their fetuses.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
23 Oct. 2025
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But the writers, like Noah and Joanne, are ignoring that fundamental fork in the road in favor of inane high jinks from the couple and their increasingly irksome friends and family.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Keeping the breed and other native species alive is challenging.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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In other words, the challenging emotions people deal with in the short term can become independent from a long-term sense of satisfaction, potentially because separate brain processes underlie the two.—
Anthony Vaccaro,
Scientific American,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Snell was facing a rookie making his seventh big-league start.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Now, nearly three years later, could Meta be facing its own ChatGPT moment?—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But some property owners have signed a petition opposing the initiative, which could keep it from going to the Common Council for consideration.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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Conservative activist Riley Gaines, known for her advocacy opposing transgender individuals in women’s sports, has been appointed to the Sumner County Library Board.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defying. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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