defeated

American  

[dih-fee-tid] / dɪˈfi tɪd /

adjective

1. relating to or being the loser in a contest, election, battle, etc.; overcome or vanquished.

   For several days in succession, fragments of the defeated army straggled through the town.

2. frustrated, foiled, or thwarted, as plans, dreams, etc..

   He could not shake off a feeling of acute disappointment, of defeated hopes.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of defeat.

Other Word Forms

• quasi-defeated adjective
• undefeated adjective
• undefeatedly adverb
• undefeatedness noun

Etymology

Origin of defeated

First recorded in 1575–85; defeat ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; defeat ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Coach Cori Close, who defeated South Carolina in Sunday’s final, was mentored by the Bruins legend at the very start of her career.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

“Eventually, we ran out of money, and there was illness in the family. We were just defeated and had to come back to the States.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Seeing him in such a defeated posture came as no surprise.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

Four-time prime minister and Marxist leader Oli, 74, was defeated by Shah in Oli's own constituency.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

“Right you are, Sunny Brook. Here we go: What king defeated the Revolt of the Earls in 1075 and then, a decade later, ordered the composing of the Domesday, or doomsday, Book?”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• conquered
• crushed