defeated

American

[dih-fee-tid] / dɪˈfi tɪd /

adjective

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

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

verb

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Because the bravery and courage at the heart of the survivor was bruised but not defeated.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

On Saturday, Fieri attended UFC 327 in Miami, where Carlos Ulberg defeated Jiří Procházka by first-round knockout to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

McIlroy defeated Rose in a play-off to win last year, but the Englishman kept alive his hopes of finally slipping into the Green Jacket with a bogey-free 69 on Saturday.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Ireland, Six Nations winners in 2013 and 2015, are continuing to improve under Scott Bemand and were narrowly defeated by France at the World Cup.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

“Yes,” Mr. MacPherson said, sounding a little defeated.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

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