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• defiance
  defiance

  noun

  a daring or bold resistance to authority or to any opposing force.
• Defiance
  Defiance

  noun

  a city in NW Ohio.

defiance

¹ American  

[dih-fahy-uhns] / dɪˈfaɪ əns /

noun

1. a daring or bold resistance to authority or to any opposing force.

2. open disregard; contempt (often followed byof ).

   defiance of danger; His refusal amounted to defiance.

3. a challenge to meet in combat or in a contest.

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idioms

1. bid defiance to, to offer resistance; defy.

2. in defiance of, in spite of; notwithstanding.

   There was a splendid audience in defiance of the rainstorm.

Defiance ² American  

[dih-fahy-uhns] / dɪˈfaɪ əns /

noun

1. a city in NW Ohio.

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defiance British  

/ dɪˈfaɪəns /

noun

1. open or bold resistance to or disregard for authority, opposition, or power

2. a challenging attitude or behaviour; challenge

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defiance More Idioms  

1. see in defiance of.

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Other Word Forms

• nondefiance
  noun
• predefiance
  noun

Etymology

Origin of defiance

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French; equivalent to defy + -ance

Explanation

Stand up when the powers that be order you to sit down, and you've given a fine example of defiance. It happens when someone or a group of someones openly flouts or challenges authority. Refusing to go to bed when your parents tell you to? That's an act of defiance. Defiance comes from French — specifically to the Old French word defier, which means "to defy." (Don't mix it up with deify; that means to make someone or something into a god.) If you've ever studied Latin, you'll spot the fi in fidare, "to trust."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

defiance Defiance

De la Espriella's combative approach has been met with defiance by dissident rebel groups.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

One of Russia’s most popular singers, Filipp Kirkorov, sang a ditty about A7’s defiance of European sanctions in one promotional video.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

“While the government withheld funding in defiance of its obligations, children were left to face deportation proceedings alone, and some potentially returned to the very abuse, persecution, and danger they fled,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

"Behaviour is just put down to persistent defiance and bad behaviour, and they're punished for it," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

But in subtle defiance of him, she doesn’t actually say good-bye.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

The Defiance Connective Technologies ETF follows a modified weighting strategy.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026

“There are periods of time where the Mag Seven has taken a back seat, and this year is one of them,” says Sylvia Jablonski, chief investment officer of Defiance ETFs.

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

The following excerpt is adapted from Chapter 3 of Tyler’s memoir, Stitching Freedom: A True Story of Injustice, Defiance, and Hope, published by One Signal Publishers and set for release on Tuesday.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2025

Defiance Daily Target 2X Long RGTI, which aims to double the daily return of quantum-computer firm Rigetti Computing, is up roughly 1,000%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025

On July 30,1952, at the height of the Defiance Campaign, I was at work at my then law firm of H. M. Basner when the police arrived with a warrant for my arrest.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• confrontation
• contempt
• opposition
• provocation
• rebellion
• spite