defied

American

[dih-fahyd] / dɪˈfaɪd /

adjective

challenged or resisted boldly or openly; rebelled against.

Both novels end with a degree of reconciliation and acceptance between the defied parent and the wayward child.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of defy.

Other Word Forms

undefied

adjective

Etymology

Origin of defied

First recorded in 1810–20; defy ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; defy ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

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.

Sir Keir said he is "focused on the job" as PM, as he defied calls from his MPs to step down after poor election results.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Those cheat codes are now on the brink of powering soccer’s greatest upset since Leicester City defied 5,000-to-1 odds to win the Premier League a decade ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

As of Wednesday’s close, shares had fallen 27% in 2026, but they have gained 135% over the last 12 months as the company defied last year’s slump in furniture sales.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

The 5th Circuit defied this command on Tuesday, and its excuse for doing so was rice-paper-thin.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

But we know little about how it defied those odds—how it came to be.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023