defeated

American  

[dih-fee-tid] / dɪˈfi tɪd /

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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• quasi-defeated adjective
• undefeated adjective
• undefeatedly adverb
• undefeatedness noun

Etymology

Origin of defeated

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

Seeing him in such a defeated posture came as no surprise.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

And as defeated as Day felt, he knew she didn’t truly want to quit.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

“Every technology gets defeated at some point,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Four-time prime minister and Marxist leader Oli, 74, was defeated by Shah in Oli's own constituency.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

It was exhilarating to know that the tide of the war had turned, even though there was still a long way to go before the enemy was defeated.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• conquered
• crushed