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| de·fy [ di f ] (past and past participle de·fied, present participle de·fy·ing, 3rd person present singular de·fies) |
transitive verb |
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| Definition: |
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1. openly resist somebody or something: to challenge openly somebody's or something's authority or power by refusing to obey a command or regulation
  He defied all orders from headquarters.
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2. challenge somebody: to challenge or dare somebody to do something
I defy you to find a better deal than this.
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3. not be explained by something: to fail to be explained or clarified by something such as logic or analysis
a decision that defies all logic
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| [14th century. Via French défier< assumed Vulgar Latin disfidare "renounce your faith" < Latin fides "trust, belief"] |
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| de·fi·er noun |
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