defied
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
The next head-spinning result arrived when Anthropic’s Fable model found a counterexample to the Jacobian conjecture, a famously treacherous problem that had defied mathematicians for 87 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
When the homicide rate was rising, it defied criminologists’ expectations, breaking away from the property crime decline of the 2010s.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
When we are asleep, our brain consolidates the memories of the day, processes emotions, and solves problems that defied it in the waking hours.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
By chance, a BBC Wales camera crew had defied instructions to cease filming,, external and so the moment was preserved for all time as Sobers launched six successive deliveries over the ropes.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
As Elizebeth later explained, the Atlantic coast alone, “with its coves and inlets, its chopped waterline, with its many secluded spots where boats might secretly dock and unload, created a problem which defied description.”
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
