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| de·feat [ di ft ] |
transitive verb (past and past participle de·feat·ed, present participle de·feat·ing, 3rd person present singular de·feats) |
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1. beat competitor: to win a victory over a competitor, e.g. in sports or business
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2. win vote: to win a victory over another person or group in a debate or vote
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3. beat enemy: to win a victory over enemy forces in a battle or war
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4. cause failure of something: to cause something to fail or to fall short of realization
  The truck defeated all my attempts to get it to start.
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5. baffle somebody: to leave somebody in a baffled or uncomprehending state
His logic defeats me.
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6. law make something void: to make or declare something null and void
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noun (plural de·feats) |
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1. fact of losing to opponent: the fact or an instance of losing to an enemy in battle or an opponent in a competition
the home team's humiliating defeat
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2. failure: failure to win or to realize a goal
She refused to admit defeat and appealed.
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| [14th century. Via Anglo-Norman defeter "disfigure, destroy" < medieval Latin disfacere "unmake" < Latin facere "do, make"] |
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| de·feat·er noun |
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defeat the object or purpose of something make the desired outcome less likely or possible while appearing to have the intent of pursuing it
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| Word Key: Synonyms |
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defeat, beat, conquer, vanquish, overcome, triumph, thrash, trounce
CORE MEANING: to win a victory
defeat to win a victory over an enemy or competitor, or to cause somebody or something to fail;
The Spartans succeeded in defeating their enemies.
She played a major role in defeating the proposal.
beat to defeat somebody in a contest, or to succeed in the face of difficulty;
"I am the champion of the world and will beat him again," he said.
After a paralyzing accident a month ago, his goal is to walk again, though he realizes he will have to beat some big odds to do it.
conquer to defeat and take control of a people in war, or to succeed despite difficulty;
their vow to retake their conquered land
He's already conquered his toughest challenge.
vanquish to defeat somebody decisively in a battle or competition;
The Patriots emerge victorious and the Bears are once again vanquished.
overcome to defeat somebody or something, especially in a conflict or competition;
The French quickly overcame the opposing forces
The home team overcame their longtime rivals to move to the top of the league
triumph to be successful, especially against an adversary or against difficult odds;
Foreknowledge will help a wise general to triumph over his enemies.
It seemed that scientific investigation was triumphing over ignorance.
thrash to defeat a person or team decisively, especially in a sports competition;
The Red Sox, who were thrashed in the last game by the Yankees, took the lead.
trounce to defeat an opponent or team convincingly;
In the first round match the Japanese player fired powerful and well-placed ground strokes to trounce the American veteran. |
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