defy

[dih-fahy, dee-]

verb (used with object)

defied, defying 

1. to challenge the power of; resist boldly or openly.

   Love drives the characters to ignore their family feud and defy parental authority.

   The artist defies conventional categories by blending very different styles in her work.

   Synonyms: scorn, flout, brave, dare

2. to offer effective resistance to; make virtually impossible.

   Their strategic position is helped by having a fort that defies attack.

   The facts were so complex that they defied simple explanation.

3. to challenge (a person) to do something deemed impossible.

   They defied him to dive off the bridge.

4. Archaic.,  to challenge to a combat or contest.

noun

plural

defies 

1. a challenge; a defiance.

defy

/ dɪˈfaɪ /

verb

1. to resist (a powerful person, authority, etc) openly and boldly

2. to elude, esp in a baffling way

   his actions defy explanation

3. formal,  to challenge or provoke (someone to do something judged to be impossible); dare

   I defy you to climb that cliff

4. archaic,  to invite to do battle or combat

Other Word Forms

• defiable adjective
• defyingly adverb
• predefy verb (used with object)
• redefy verb (used with object)
• undefiable adjective
• undefiably adverb
• defier noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of defy¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Middle English defien, Old French desfier, from des- dis- ¹ + fier “to trust” (from Vulgar Latin fīdāre (unrecorded), from Latin fīdere; fidelity ( def. ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of defy¹

C14: from Old French desfier, from des- _de- + fier to trust, from Latin fīdere

Example Sentences

The Niger state government accused the Catholic school of defying orders to temporarily close all boarding schools in parts of the state following an intelligence report of an "increased threat level" in areas bordering Kebbi.

Read more on Barron's

The first Stanford was made of real students, who defy tidy put-downs of “kids these days.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Her tales defy easy categorization—suspense shockers? ghost stories? horror sketches?—even as they insinuate themselves into our souls.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

U.S. job growth defied expectations in September, according to a Labor Department report issued nearly seven weeks late due to the government shutdown.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Other kids might have defied the closures and gone anyway, but Anthony followed rules with inflexible intensity, Neal said, especially the ones he set for himself.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• confront 
• disregard 
• elude 
• flout 
• ignore 
• mock 
• oppose 
• provoke 
• resist 
• ridicule 
• spurn 
• thwart 
• violate 
• withstand