defy

1 of 2

verb

de·​fy di-ˈfī 

dē-

defied; defying

transitive verb

1

: to confront with assured power of resistance : disregard

defy public opinion

in trouble for defying a court order

2

: to resist attempts at : withstand

the paintings defy classification

a decision that defies all logic

3

: to challenge to do something considered impossible : dare

defied us to name a better movie

4

archaic : to challenge to combat

defy

2 of 2

noun

de·​fy di-ˈfī  ˈdē-ˌfī 

plural defies

: challenge, defiance

observers took this to be a form of defy

—Jack Alexander

Synonyms

Verb

• disobey
• mock
• rebel (against)

Examples of defy in a Sentence

Verb

She defied her parents and dropped out of school.

The group has continued to defy all efforts to stop them.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

While bookmakers have focused on a handful of front-runners, recent history shows the eventual pope is often a surprise pick, with the voting process inside the Sistine Chapel frequently defying outside predictions. —Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025

These individuals defied Nazi tyranny, they were imprisoned, and many were executed. —Peter Nguyen, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025

Noun

There are also vehicles that kind of defy trailering, at least under normal circumstances, like the old U.S. military Unimog (pictured above), complete with a hydraulic front-end loader. —Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, 8 Jan. 2023

Over the past few years, astronomers have uncovered about a dozen objects in the distant solar system that defy expectations. —Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English defien "to renounce, disavow, scorn, challenge to fight," borrowed from Anglo-French defier, desfier, from de-, des- de- + fier "to pledge, trust in, rely on," going back to Vulgar Latin *fīdāre, re-formation of Latin fīdere "to trust (in), have confidence (in)" — more at faith entry 1

Note: The sense history was perhaps "to break faith with" > "to scorn" > "to challenge to a fight," though the latter meaning appears to be the earliest in Old French.

Noun

in part borrowed from Middle French deffy, noun derivative of defier "to challenge, defy entry 1," in part derivative of defy entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing defy

• defy analysis
• defy belief
• defy convention
• defy logic

Rhymes for defy

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• deny
• descry

Kids Definition

defy

verb

de·​fy

di-ˈfī

defied; defying

1

: to challenge to do something considered impossible : dare

the magician defied the audience to explain the trick

2

: to refuse boldly to obey or to yield to : disregard

defy public opinion

3

: to resist attempts at : withstand, baffle

a scene that defies description

defier

-ˈfī(-ə)r

noun