defeat
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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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.
Related Words
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
- defeater noun
- nondefeat noun
- predefeat noun
- redefeat verb
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”
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.
Another abject defeat could end Liverpool's hopes of progressing even before the second leg, at which point the season would become solely about trying to scrape back into the Champions League next season.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
An emotional Gattuso apologised for the defeat during his post-match news conference and admitted it was "hard to digest".
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Chelsea lost four successive games between 11 and 21 March, including an 8-2 defeat on aggregate in their Champions League last-16 tie with Paris St-Germain.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
I must admit that I did not rate the screaming Brazilian all that much when I first saw him play for Arsenal in a 2-0 defeat at St James' Park a few years ago.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
As for Major Puff, he was unsure whether he could proclaim victory or admit defeat or simply call it a tie.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
