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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

She will face Hailey Baptiste in the last eight after the American defeated Latvian Jelena Ostapenko - also by a 6-3 6-4 margin.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

“This will be defeated, there’s no question in my mind,” Newsom said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

Amalia Holguin, Sage Hill, 5-9, Sr.: The Texas commit was a four-year standout, averaging 22.3 points for a team that defeated Southern Section Open Division champion Sierra Canyon in the state playoffs.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

A score of genuinely brilliant military leaders who also confronted a superior enemy force—Hannibal, Robert E. Lee, and Napoleon come to mind—were eventually defeated because they presumed that victory meant winning battles.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• conquered
• crushed