defying

verb

present participle of defy
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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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

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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

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 defying Oppenheimer follow-up about a man haunted by defying the gods & dooming civilization — this one fights to avenge his own hubris. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026 The Zion Church is among the largest churches that are unregistered with the Chinese authorities, defying restrictions from the officially atheist Communist Party requiring believers to worship only in registered congregations. — ABC News, 4 July 2026 With Lionel Messi, then 35, defying nature in Tom Brady-like fashion, Argentina stormed to its third World Cup title, which worked in Telemundo’s favor. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 July 2026 That’s a genre-defying triumph that a bigger distributor, like Amazon MGM, might have had a harder time promoting. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026 These changes are the result of fierce competition between a handful of major brands, each pushing the game, and the athletes’ speed, power, and physics-defying spin, forward. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 2 July 2026 Gerber, however, made the look her own with a gravity-defying structure. — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 2 July 2026 Jay Manuel and Pamela Chavez-Manuel have spent years defying expectations, and their latest chapter is no exception. — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 30 June 2026 Machado left Venezuela in December to travel to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, defying a decade-long travel ban imposed under Maduro’s government. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defying
  1. disobeying
  2. daring
  3. confronting
  4. resisting
  5. ignoring
  6. challenging
  7. facing
  8. opposing
Verb
  • Santana-Mateo was booked on charges of breach of peace, engaging police in a pursuit, disobeying the direction of officer, reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to drive right, failure to obey a traffic control signal and driving the wrong way on a one way.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
  • Icarus disobeying his father Daedalus and flying too close to the sun.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
Definition of disobeying
Verb
  • Take a leap of faith on daring outings such as the Waterfalls of Damajagua in Puerto Plata, where guests make their way down seven of the 27 natural slides and waterfalls.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026
  • In a daring high-wire act high above the East River, fearless NYPD cops spent nearly an hour on a span of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge talking down a woman desperately threatening to jump.
    — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 July 2026
Definition of daring
Verb
  • Hard-liners want to ensure lasting control over the waterway, which is a globally important conduit for fuel shipments and has become a critical lever in confronting the West.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • All that was abandoned by the Chavez government in 2002-2003, after confronting the opposition and strikes from the experts in the oil industry.
    — Hermes Florez, The Conversation, 9 July 2026
Definition of confronting
Verb
  • The Hansons both face felony second-degree battery charges and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, while Bone faces misdemeanor charges of obstructing government operations, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
    — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 9 July 2026
  • Under the banner of resisting the West, Khamenei defied sanctions to build up the country’s nuclear program, its arsenal of missiles and its network of militant allies across the region.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Definition of resisting
Verb
  • Goldberg said lawmakers should have stood up for students instead of ignoring the constitutional requirement.
    — Charlie Borla, Oc Register, 9 July 2026
  • Iranian state television said the tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • However, with thousands of dividend-paying companies to choose from, identifying the right stocks can be challenging.
    — Tipranks.com Staff, CNBC, 5 July 2026
  • It is expected to be hot and dry through Monday, with very little humidity, officials said, making conditions challenging for containment.
    — Chandelis Duster, NPR, 5 July 2026
Definition of challenging
Verb
  • Domestic Shield directs counter-drone resources to locations facing the greatest operational risk.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026
  • The fundraiser says Dileo, a single father, is now facing the financial burden of bringing his son home to Florida, in addition to funeral, burial and other unexpected expenses.
    — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Definition of facing
Verb
  • Everyone needs to find someone who hugs them like Messi hugs people — teammates, coaches, opposing players, young fans.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • In January, the MTS passed a resolution opposing the expansion of Waymo’s robo-taxis, calling for more local control over the deployment of autonomous vehicles.
    — Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
Definition of opposing

Browse Nearby Words

defy
defying
dégagé
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Cite this Entry

“Defying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defying. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of defying for Spanish Speakers

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