as in to overcome
to achieve a victory over
they defeated their archrivals easily and moved into the next round of the play-offs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in loss
failure to win a contest
sore losers still griping about their defeat in the basketball game earlier that week
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in collapse
a falling short of one's goals
truly disheartened by the defeat of his plans to revitalize downtown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of defeat
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 1 July 2025
Ironically, Sliwa must drop out of this mayoral race to help Adams raise money and defeat Mamdani in the general election.
—Ken Frydman, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025
Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Recent Results and Performances After losing to South Africa in Olympic qualifying in early 2024, Tanzania have only tasted defeat once more in a friendly against Morocco.
—Neel Shelat, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for defeat
Verb
Unlike other characters that need to jump on enemies to defeat them, DK can throw an endless stream of haymaker punches in all directions and can even rip chunks of rock and the ground itself out to throw with precision.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 1 July 2025
Ironically, Sliwa must drop out of this mayoral race to help Adams raise money and defeat Mamdani in the general election.
—Ken Frydman, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025
Noun
Former committee Chair Steve Southerland, R-Morristown, who led the Senate panel last year, was replaced in the top post by Sen. Shane Reeves, R-Murfreesboro ― though Senate leaders have declined to say publicly that defeat of the governor's bill was the specific reason for Southerland’s ouster.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Recent Results and Performances After losing to South Africa in Olympic qualifying in early 2024, Tanzania have only tasted defeat once more in a friendly against Morocco.
—Neel Shelat, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for defeat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeat
Verb
-
There can be ways to overcome the objections of the people who are concerned that new technology will make their jobs obsolete.—
Edward Segal,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
-
Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the next.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
The leak caused the loss of nearly 30,000 gallons of water daily.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
14 July 2025
-
While State Farm contends that out-of-state losses do not directly affect Illinois premiums, at least one industry analyst said there is a potential connection.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Automatic proposal drafting, data ingestion, and benchmarking collapse non-billable hours, freeing margin that can be redeployed as fee discounts or reinvested in service upgrades or tooling.—
Noah Ohrner,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
Metallica famously initiated the landmark lawsuit against peer-to-peer file sharing company Napster in 2000, which led to further suits that ultimately caused the company's initial collapse.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
After a spa treatment or a dip in the ocean, guests can learn how to string fragrant plumeria leis or master the art of hula in open-air pavilions.—
John Wogan,
Travel + Leisure,
8 July 2025
-
Rather than trying to master multiple AI platforms, teachers can start with one tool and thoroughly explore its capabilities.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
The Republic first tied the Goons to the fatal group beating of Preston Lord, 16.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
8 July 2025
-
Shooting after shooting, a dark tally of beatings and murder.—
Will Potter
July 7,
Literary Hub,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
One clear failure that was identified in the numerous reviews that have taken place since the shooting was a lack of accountability surrounding who was in charge that day.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
12 July 2025
-
Smith was charged with a traffic offense - failure to yield resulting in a fatality, a source close to the situation told PEOPLE.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
12 July 2025
Verb
-
Nothing beats a flattering linen dress for the summer.—
Isis Briones,
Travel + Leisure,
5 July 2025
-
June hiring was up modestly from May's 144,000 increase in payrolls and beat the 118,000 jobs economists had forecast for last month.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
4 July 2025
Noun
-
Chelsea has avoided major injury setbacks through its first five games.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
8 July 2025
-
Most people let setbacks crush them, replaying the pain on repeat while missing the hidden power of learning from them.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeat. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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