defeat
Americanverb (used with object)
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defeats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
defeated,
past participle, past
-
defeating
present participle
noun
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defeats
plural
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the act of overcoming in a contest.
an overwhelming defeat of all opposition.
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an instance of defeat; setback.
He considered his defeat a personal affront.
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an overthrow or overturning; vanquishment.
the defeat of a government.
- Synonyms:
- downfall
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a bringing to naught; frustration.
the defeat of all his hopes and dreams.
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the act or event of being bested; a beating.
Defeat is not something she abides easily.
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Archaic. undoing; destruction; ruin.
verb
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to overcome in a contest or competition; win a victory over
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to thwart or frustrate
this accident has defeated all his hopes of winning
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law to render null and void; annul
noun
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the act of defeating or state of being defeated
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an instance of defeat
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overthrow or destruction
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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.
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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defeatsimple
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defeatssimple
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have defeatedperfect
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has defeatedperfect
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am defeatingprogressive
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are defeatingprogressive
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is defeatingprogressive
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have been defeatingperfect progressive
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has been defeatingperfect progressive
Past
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defeatedsimple
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had defeatedperfect
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was defeatingprogressive
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were defeatingprogressive
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had been defeatingperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
Defeat is the opposite of victory. When you lose, you suffer defeat. When you win, you defeat your enemy. This is a word that's all about losing. In World War II, America and the Allies defeated the Axis powers: we beat them. In basketball, Michael Jordan usually defeated his opponents. Any loss can be called a defeat. When you're disappointed or think that nothing is going right, you feel defeated. If you're determined to win, you could say, "I won't accept defeat!" Some people are so stubborn that even though they've obviously been defeated, they won't admit defeat.
Vocabulary lists containing defeat
Trumps
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"The Sporting Spirit"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Aurich has spent his entire football life wrenching last-second victories from the jaws of defeat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
England have played one Test since they lost every game on the Ashes tour of Australia in early 2025 – a defeat by India at Lord's earlier this year.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
After the defeat of the Third Reich, the hunt for some of the most dangerous Nazi leaders began.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
It is dismal reading for Arsenal fans, whose optimism has quickly diminished and their 4-2 defeat at City on Sunday added further salt to their wounds.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The boy could hardly wait for his weekly lesson, and eventually he began to defeat Tommy.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
“Backpack” defeats “910” to win Fat Bear title.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Ugly back-to-back defeats have the Los Angeles Chargers off to the first 0-2 start of the legendary coach’s career—and it only becomes more difficult from here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
But with no wins and three defeats in his first four Premier League matches, and speculation of unrest among the squad due to players' social media activity, the pressure is already on Arbeloa.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
To deem a film whose worst mistake is some inherent goofiness as “insidious” defeats the entire point.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
But the body always defeats them in the end.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
Hill's incident involved linebacker Eric Wilson, who featured for Minnesota Vikings as they defeated the visiting Miami Dolphins 15-10.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
His code name was Lawful, and Ted did want to prove that he couldn’t be defeated.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
In Persia, Alexander defeated the Greeks’ longtime foe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
She defeated real estate developer Rick Caruso by about 10 percentage points, even after he spent more than $100 million on his campaign.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
And every time he defeated a player with a higher rating, his own rating rose.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
But the Byzantines regained the upper hand after 1001, soundly defeating Samuel's army in 1014.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
After defeating the Padres, the Dodgers have five games left to round into playoff form.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
He views defeating China in the AI race as a primary objective.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Soon he’ll tell us he carried dozens of people on his own back while personally defeating the terrorists.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
He was the American who had a fighting chance of defeating a Soviet champion.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
