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.

Oil discoveries in the 1920s brought thousands to the rural Texas Panhandle in fast-growing communities that sometimes defied the rule of law.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 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 Telemundo has defied such forecasts to become one of the nation’s hottest news outlets.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

Xanadu defied a broad selloff as it spiked 15% in its first day of trading, though those gains were erased by the following session.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

A party was shimmering below and Bailey had defied Mother’s eleven o’clock curfew.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

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