defeat

American  

[dih-feet] / dɪˈfit /

verb (used with object)

1. to overcome in a contest, election, battle, etc.; prevail over; vanquish.

   They defeated the enemy.

   She defeated her brother at tennis.

   Synonyms:

   subdue , rout , overthrow , overwhelm

2. to frustrate; thwart.

   Synonyms:

   balk , baffle , foil

3. to eliminate or deprive of something expected.

   The early returns defeated his hopes of election.

4. Law.  to annul.

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noun

1. the act of overcoming in a contest.

   an overwhelming defeat of all opposition.

2. an instance of defeat; setback.

   He considered his defeat a personal affront.

3. an overthrow or overturning; vanquishment.

   the defeat of a government.

   Synonyms:

   downfall

4. a bringing to naught; frustration.

   the defeat of all his hopes and dreams.

5. the act or event of being bested; a beating.

   Defeat is not something she abides easily.

6. Archaic.  undoing; destruction; ruin.

defeat British  

/ dɪˈfiːt /

verb

1. to overcome in a contest or competition; win a victory over

2. to thwart or frustrate

   this accident has defeated all his hopes of winning

3. law to render null and void; annul

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noun

1. the act of defeating or state of being defeated

2. an instance of defeat

3. overthrow or destruction

4. law an annulment

Usage

What does defeat mean? To defeat someone is to beat them in a competition or contest.As a noun, a defeat is a loss (as in That was the team’s first defeat of the season) and defeat is the state of having lost (as in the agony of defeat).In most cases, the verb beat is a close synonym for defeat, but defeat is more formal (you can beat or defeat someone in a game, but a nation defeats another in war).As a verb, defeat can also mean to thwart or prevent something from happening, but this is less commonly used.Example: The Allies defeated the Axis powers in World War II. 

Related Words

Defeat, conquer, overcome, subdue imply gaining a victory or control over an opponent. Defeat suggests beating or frustrating: to defeat an enemy in battle. Conquer implies finally gaining control over, usually after a series of efforts or against systematic resistance: to conquer a country, one's inclinations. Overcome emphasizes surmounting difficulties in prevailing over an antagonist: to overcome opposition, bad habits. Subdue means to conquer so completely that resistance is broken: to subdue a rebellious spirit.

Other Word Forms

• defeater noun
• nondefeat noun
• predefeat noun
• redefeat verb

Etymology

Origin of defeat

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English defeten (verb), from Anglo-French, Old French desfait, past participle of desfaire “to undo, destroy,” from Medieval Latin disfacere, equivalent to Latin dis- dis- ¹ + facere “to do”

Example Sentences

Both teams suffered bad defeats at the weekend for different reasons.

From BBC

That ties them with the Ravens, who were defeated by Cincinnati on Thanksgiving.

From The Wall Street Journal

The tourists suffered a crushing defeat in the first Test, though on the opening day in Perth returned the highest collective average speed recorded by an England attack.

From BBC

But far from hurting the SEC’s playoff outlook, the Aggies’ upset defeat might actually have bolstered the league’s prospects.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ill-discipline has also been an issue, highlighted by four yellow cards and one 20-minute red card handed out in their defeat by South Africa.

From Barron's

Related Words

• beating
• blow
• breakdown
• collapse
• debacle
• destruction
• drubbing
• embarrassment
• failure
• killing
• loss
• massacre
• rout
• setback
• thrashing
• triumph