defeated

[ dih-fee-tid ]

adjective

1. relating to or being the loser in a contest, election, battle, etc.; overcome or vanquished:

   For several days in succession, fragments of the defeated army straggled through the town.

2. frustrated, foiled, or thwarted, as plans, dreams, etc.:

   He could not shake off a feeling of acute disappointment, of defeated hopes.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of defeat.

Other Words From

• qua·si-de·feat·ed adjective
• un·de·feat·ed adjective
• un·de·feat·ed·ly adverb
• un·de·feat·ed·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of defeated¹

First recorded in 1575–85; defeat ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; defeat ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

During the first debate, the president waffled on whether he would concede defeat, falling back on his go-to line about the fraudulent — and unfounded — dangers of mail voting.

From FiveThirtyEight

If you’ve forgotten the details, Volkswagen admitted in September 2015 that it had installed “defeat devices” in millions of its diesel-powered cars.

From Fortune

“Progressive may win Newt Gingrich’s seat, handing Trumpism a major defeat,” was the headline on the article by Larry Rubin, a contributor to People’s World.

From Washington Post

Yet, as the votes were counted and Macron was declared the winner, Le Pen conceded defeat, allowing for a peaceful transition.

From No Straight News

The closed-door negotiations between Pelosi and Mnuchin stood in contrast to public finger-pointing by both sides Thursday that appeared almost to forecast defeat and preemptively assign blame.

From Washington Post

The citizens of Stevens Point defeated fluoridation by a healthy margin.

From The Daily Beast

And yet Dempsey and others have repeatedly said ISIS cannot be defeated militarily.

From The Daily Beast

He won re-election twice as governor of New York, and had the hubris to run for a fourth term before being defeated in 1994.

From The Daily Beast

Many parents have been defeated in their efforts to get help from child welfare departments.

From The Daily Beast

Yet even as the Germans wallowed in bitter self-pity, another defeated superpower underwent a dramatic turnaround.

From The Daily Beast

It was under his auspices that the battle of Lepanto was fought, in which the Turks were so signally defeated.

From Project Gutenberg

He was at length defeated in battle, when 7,000 of his followers were slain and himself captured.

From Project Gutenberg

Take counsel together, and it shall be defeated: speak a word, and it shall not be done: because God is with us.

From Project Gutenberg

Battle of Surcoign; British defeated by the French after a sanguinary conflict.

From Project Gutenberg

Battle of Wakefield; the forces of Charles I defeated by the parliamentary troops.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• conquered
• crushed