defeat
Americanverb (used with object)
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defeats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
defeated,
past participle, past
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defeating
present participle
noun
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defeats
plural
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the act of overcoming in a contest.
an overwhelming defeat of all opposition.
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an instance of defeat; setback.
He considered his defeat a personal affront.
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an overthrow or overturning; vanquishment.
the defeat of a government.
- Synonyms:
- downfall
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a bringing to naught; frustration.
the defeat of all his hopes and dreams.
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the act or event of being bested; a beating.
Defeat is not something she abides easily.
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Archaic. undoing; destruction; ruin.
verb
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to overcome in a contest or competition; win a victory over
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to thwart or frustrate
this accident has defeated all his hopes of winning
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law to render null and void; annul
noun
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the act of defeating or state of being defeated
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an instance of defeat
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overthrow or destruction
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law an annulment
Usage
What does defeat mean? To defeat someone is to beat them in a competition or contest. As a noun, a defeat is a loss (as in That was the team’s first defeat of the season) and defeat is the state of having lost (as in the agony of defeat). In most cases, the verb beat is a close synonym for defeat, but defeat is more formal (you can beat or defeat someone in a game, but a nation defeats another in war). As a verb, defeat can also mean to thwart or prevent something from happening, but this is less commonly used. Example: The Allies defeated the Axis powers in World War II.
Synonym Usage
Defeat, conquer, overcome, subdue imply gaining a victory or control over an opponent. Defeat suggests beating or frustrating: to defeat an enemy in battle. Conquer implies finally gaining control over, usually after a series of efforts or against systematic resistance: to conquer a country, one's inclinations. Overcome emphasizes surmounting difficulties in prevailing over an antagonist: to overcome opposition, bad habits. Subdue means to conquer so completely that resistance is broken: to subdue a rebellious spirit.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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defeatsimple
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defeatssimple
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have defeatedperfect
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has defeatedperfect
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am defeatingprogressive
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are defeatingprogressive
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is defeatingprogressive
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have been defeatingperfect progressive
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has been defeatingperfect progressive
Past
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defeatedsimple
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had defeatedperfect
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was defeatingprogressive
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were defeatingprogressive
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had been defeatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of defeat
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English defeten (verb), from Anglo-French, Old French desfait, past participle of desfaire “to undo, destroy,” from Medieval Latin disfacere, equivalent to Latin dis- dis- 1 + facere “to do”
Explanation
Defeat is the opposite of victory. When you lose, you suffer defeat. When you win, you defeat your enemy. This is a word that's all about losing. In World War II, America and the Allies defeated the Axis powers: we beat them. In basketball, Michael Jordan usually defeated his opponents. Any loss can be called a defeat. When you're disappointed or think that nothing is going right, you feel defeated. If you're determined to win, you could say, "I won't accept defeat!" Some people are so stubborn that even though they've obviously been defeated, they won't admit defeat.
Vocabulary lists containing defeat
Trumps
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"The Sporting Spirit"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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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.
See Examples For:
Garrett, who failed to record a tackle or a quarterback hit in the defeat, had surgery on his left knee Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Every defeat was taken on the chin, and accepted, but the lads were always ready to go, again and again.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The defeat by the 49ers was only the third time in 10 seasons that McVay lost a season opener.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Maresca, who succeeded Pep Guardiola in the summer, said previous VAR decisions have gone against City, including in a 2-1 defeat by United in January 2023.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
This was the woman whom the greatest heroes in the world had failed to defeat.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Jayden Maiava passes for 261 yards and five touchdowns as No. 14 USC defeats Louisiana 49-30 to head into Big Ten play next week undefeated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Six successive home defeats in the league equals a grim club record dating back to 1920.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The gags are counterbalanced by generous helpings of schmaltz, with much talk of the power of the feminine and how sisterhood defeats all.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Their only defeats came within hours of each other at the Chargers Invitational, to reigning Southern Section Division I champion JSerra and Bonita Vista, the second-ranked team in the San Diego Section.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
It was one of the most devastating defeats of the Civil War.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
In Greek mythology, the volcano was associated with the burial of the giants Typhon and Enceladus after they were defeated by the Olympian gods.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Lopez Ramirez defeated Yealimi Noh 3&2, while Nadaud always looked in control against Andrea Lee to win by the same scoreline.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win her first U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
The contest in Nevada is a rerun of 2022, when Democrat Cisco Aguilar narrowly defeated Republican Jim Marchant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
When they’d defeated her at the Wolf House in Sonoma, the snow goddess had vowed revenge.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Soon he’ll tell us he carried dozens of people on his own back while personally defeating the terrorists.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Union soldiers found themselves unable to re-enact defeating them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Hichilema himself won office in 2021 on his sixth attempt, defeating arch-rival Edgar Lungu in a landslide.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
El-Sayed vowed to unite Democrats around defeating Rogers, who previously served seven terms in Congress, saying that he and Stevens would be focused on “bringing the party back together.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Among the dozens of Zulu chiefdoms, the Mtetwa chiefdom enjoyed no advantage whatsoever of technology, writing, or germs over the other chiefdoms, which it nevertheless succeeded in defeating.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
