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1. Dictionary

   de·feat

   /dəˈfēt/

   verb

   • 1. win a victory over (someone) in a battle or other contest; overcome or beat: "Arab armies defeated the Byzantine garrison" Similar beatconquerwin againstwin a victory overtriumph overprevail overget the better ofbestworstvanquishrouttrounceovercomeoverpoweroverthrowoverwhelmcrushquashbring someone to their kneesquellsubjugatesubduerepulseinformal:lickthrashhammerwhipwipe the floor withwalk all overgive someone a hidingtake to the cleanersblow out of the waterrun rings aroundmake mincemeat ofclobberpastepoundpulverizecrucifymurdermassacreslaughterdemolishdrubgive someone a drubbingcanezapflattenturn inside outtankpwnstuffmarmalizeblow outcreamshellacskunkslamownOpposite lose to
   • ▪ prevent (someone) from achieving an aim: "she was defeated by the last steep hill" Similar thwartblockfrustratepreventfoilbalkruinput a stop toscotchobviateforestalldebarsnookerderailobstructimpedehinderhamperdeterdiscomfitinformal:put the kibosh onnip in the budput paid toput the stopper ondo forstymiescupperput the mockers onnobbleOpposite advanceassist
   • ▪ prevent (an aim) from being achieved: "don't cheat by allowing your body to droop—this defeats the object of the exercise"
   • ▪ reject or block (a motion or proposal): "the amendment was defeated" Similar rejectoverthrowthrow outdismissoutvotespurnrebuffturn downinformal:give the thumbs downOpposite pass
   • ▪ be impossible for (someone) to understand: "this line of reasoning defeats me, I must confess" Similar bafflepuzzleperplexbewildermystifybemuseconfuseconfoundfrustratenonplusthrowinformal:beatflummoxdiscombobulatefazestumpfoxbe all Greek to
   • ▪ render null and void; annul.

   noun

   • 1. an instance of defeating or being defeated: "she had still not quite admitted defeat" Similar lossbeatingconquestconqueringbestingworstingvanquishingvanquishmentgame, set, and matchrouttrouncingoverpoweringsubjugationsubduingreversedebacledownfallinformal:thrashinghidingdrubbinglickinghammeringwhippingclobberingpastingpoundingpulverizingmassacreslaughterdemolitioncaningflatteningpwnageownagefailuredownfallbreakdowncollapseruinlack of successdiscomfiturerejectionfrustrationfounderingmisfiringoverthrowabortionmiscarriageundoingreversedisappointmentsetbackOpposite victorysuccess

   Word Origin late Middle English (in the sense ‘undo, destroy, annul’): from Old French desfait ‘undone’, past participle of desfaire, from medieval Latin disfacere ‘undo’.

   Scrabble Points: 10

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2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › defeatDefeat Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › defeat

   • Cached

   The meaning of DEFEAT is to win victory over : beat. How to use defeat in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Defeat.

3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishDEFEAT | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   to win against someone in a fight, war, or competition: Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo. They defeated the Italian team and reached the final. Synonyms. annihilate informal. beat (DEFEAT) conquer. crush (BEAT) hammer (DEFEAT) informal. thrash (DEFEAT) informal. trounce. See also. self-defeating.

4. www.dictionary.com › browse › defeatDEFEAT Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › defeat

   • Cached

   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).

5. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › defeatDefeat - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › defeat

   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.

6. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryDEFEAT | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

   • Cached

   to win against someone in a fight, war, or competition: Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo. They defeated the Italian team and reached the final. Synonyms. annihilate informal. beat (DEFEAT) conquer. crush (BEAT) hammer (DEFEAT) informal. thrash (DEFEAT) informal. trounce. See also. self-defeating.

7. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishDEFEAT definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   Defeat is the state of being beaten in a battle, game, or contest, or of failing to achieve what you wanted to.

8. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › us › definitiondefeat verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes...

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › us › definition

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   to win against somebody in a war, competition, sports game, etc. synonym beat. defeat somebody/something He defeated the champion in three sets. to defeat a rival/an opponent. The goal is to defeat the enemy by whatever means possible. a defeated army. Garibaldi defeated the Neapolitan army.

9. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-englishDEFEAT | meaning - Cambridge Learner's Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-english

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   DEFEAT definition: 1. to win against someone in a fight or competition: 2. to make someone or something fail: 3. an…. Learn more.

10. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › englishdefeat noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes...

    www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english

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    [uncountable, countable] failure to win or to be successful. The party faces defeat in the election. They suffered a narrow defeat in the final. a heavy/humiliating/crushing defeat. The world champion has only had two defeats in 20 fights. They finally had to admit defeat (= stop trying to be successful). to concede/accept defeat.

11. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english-wordDEFEAT - Find out everything about this English word | Collins

    www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english-word

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    Definitions of 'defeat' 1. If you defeat someone, you win a victory over them in a battle, game, or contest. [...] 2. If a proposal or motion in a debate is defeated, more people vote against it than for it. [...] 3. If a task or a problem defeats you, it is so difficult that you cannot do it or solve it. [...] More. English usage.