defeat
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de·feat
(dĭ-fēt′)tr.v. de·feat·ed, de·feat·ing, de·feats
1. To do better than (another) in a competition or battle; win victory over; beat: "Whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same" (Thomas Paine).
2. To prevent the success of; thwart: Internal strife defeats the purpose of teamwork.
3. Law
a. To frustrate the enforcement of (a motion, for example).
b. To make (an estate, for example) void; annul.
4.
a. To dishearten or dispirit: The last setback defeated her, and she gave up.
b. To be beyond the comprehension of; mystify: How the children found their way back home defeats me.
n.
1.
a. The act of defeating an opponent: the home team's defeat of their rivals.
b. The state of being defeated; failure to win: the home team's defeat by their rivals.
2. A coming to naught; frustration: the defeat of a lifelong dream.
3. Law
a. The act of overcoming or frustrating the enforcement of.
b. Law The act of making null and void.
[Middle English defeten, from defet, disfigured, from Old French desfait, past participle of desfaire, to destroy, from Medieval Latin disfacere, to destroy, mutilate, undo : Latin dis-, dis- + Latin facere, to do; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
de·feat′er n.
Synonyms: defeat, beat, conquer, rout1, vanquish
These verbs mean to triumph over an adversary: defeated the opposing team by fourteen points; beat her competitor in the race for first place; conquered the enemy after a long battle; routed all opposition due to a brilliant strategy; vanquished the marauding army in a surprise attack.
These verbs mean to triumph over an adversary: defeated the opposing team by fourteen points; beat her competitor in the race for first place; conquered the enemy after a long battle; routed all opposition due to a brilliant strategy; vanquished the marauding army in a surprise attack.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
defeat
(dɪˈfiːt)vb (tr)
1. to overcome in a contest or competition; win a victory over
2. to thwart or frustrate: this accident has defeated all his hopes of winning.
3. (Law) law to render null and void; annul
n
4. the act of defeating or state of being defeated
5. an instance of defeat
6. overthrow or destruction
7. (Law) law an annulment
[C14: from Old French desfait, from desfaire to undo, ruin, from des- dis-1 + faire to do, from Latin facere]
deˈfeater n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
de•feat
(dɪˈfit)v.t.
1. to overcome in a contest; vanquish.
2. to frustrate; thwart.
3. to deprive of something expected: to defeat one's hopes.
4. Law. to annul.
n. 5. the act of overcoming in a contest.
6. an instance of defeat; setback.
7. an overthrow or overturning; downfall; abolition.
8. Archaic. destruction; ruin.
[1325–75; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French desfait, past participle of desfaire to undo, destroy < Medieval Latin disfacere= Latin dis- dis-1 + facere to do]
de•feat′er, n.
syn: defeat, conquer, overcome, subdue imply gaining victory or control over an opponent. defeat usu. means to beat or frustrate in a single contest or conflict: Confederate forces were defeated at Gettysburg. conquer means to finally gain control over by physical, moral, or mental force, usu. after long effort: to conquer poverty; to conquer a nation. overcome emphasizes perseverance and the surmounting of difficulties: to overcome opposition; to overcome a bad habit. subdue means to conquer so completely that resistance is broken: to subdue a rebellious spirit.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
win
– defeat – beat1. 'win'
If you win a war, fight, game, or contest, you defeat your opponent. The past tense and -ed participle of win is won /wʌn/.
We won the game easily.
The party had won a great victory.
2. 'defeat' and 'beat'
Don't say that someone 'wins' an enemy or opponent. In a war or battle, you say that one side defeats the other.
The French defeated the English troops.
In a game or contest, you say that one person or side defeats or beats the other.
He defeated his rival in the semi-finals and went on to win the tournament.
She beat him at chess.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
defeat
Past participle: defeated
Gerund: defeating
| Imperative |
|---|
| defeat |
| defeat |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  defeat - an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest; "it was a narrow defeat"; "the army's only defeat"; "they suffered a convincing licking"conclusion, ending, finish - event whose occurrence ends something; "his death marked the ending of an era"; "when these final episodes are broadcast it will be the finish of the show" failure - an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose; "the surprise party was a complete failure" heartbreaker - a narrow defeat or a defeat at the last minute lurch - a decisive defeat in a game (especially in cribbage) rout - an overwhelming defeat waterloo - a final crushing defeat; "he met his waterloo" whitewash - a defeat in which the losing person or team fails to score |
| 2. |  defeat - the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goalsdisappointment, letdown - a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized; "his hopes were so high he was doomed to disappointment" | |
| Verb | 1. | defeat - win a victory over; "You must overcome all difficulties"; "defeat your enemies"; "He overcame his shyness"; "He overcame his infirmity"; "Her anger got the better of her and she blew up" beat, beat out, vanquish, trounce, crush, shell - come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We beat the competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game" wallop - defeat soundly and utterly; "We'll wallop them!" down - bring down or defeat (an opponent) overrun - seize the position of and defeat; "the Crusaders overran much of the Holy Land" upset - defeat suddenly and unexpectedly; "The foreign team upset the local team" nose - defeat by a narrow margin conquer - overcome by conquest; "conquer your fears"; "conquer a country" make it, pull round, pull through, survive, come through - continue in existence after (an adversity, etc.); "He survived the cancer against all odds" |
| 2. |  defeat - thwart the passage of; "kill a motion"; "he shot down the student's proposal" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
defeat
verb
1. beat, crush, overwhelm, conquer, stuff (slang), master, worst, tank (slang), overthrow, lick (informal), undo, subdue, rout, overpower, quell, trounce, clobber (slang), vanquish, repulse, subjugate, run rings around (informal), wipe the floor with (informal), make mincemeat of (informal), pip at the post, outplay, blow out of the water (slang) His guerrillas defeated the colonial army.
beat lose, yield, bow, submit, surrender, succumb, cave in (informal)
beat lose, yield, bow, submit, surrender, succumb, cave in (informal)
2. frustrate, foil, thwart, ruin, baffle, confound, balk, get the better of, forestall, stymie The challenges of constructing such a huge novel almost defeated her.
3. overthrow, destroy, ruin, upset, overturn, demolish, put an end to, subvert, put paid to, bring to ruin He swore to defeat the plan.
noun
1. conquest, beating, overthrow, pasting (slang), rout, debacle, trouncing, repulse, vanquishment The vote was seen as something of a defeat for the lobbyists.
conquest success, victory, triumph
conquest success, victory, triumph
2. frustration, failure, reverse, disappointment, setback, thwarting the final defeat of all his hopes
Quotations
"Defeat is a thing of weariness, of incoherence, of boredom. And above all futility" [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Flight to Arras]
"Victory has a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan" [Count Galeazzo Giano Diary]
"Defeat is a thing of weariness, of incoherence, of boredom. And above all futility" [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Flight to Arras]
"Victory has a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan" [Count Galeazzo Giano Diary]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
defeat
verbnoun
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
porazitporážka
besejrenederlagslå
malvenko
شکست دادن
tappiotuhotavoittaahäviö
porazporaziti
ósigursigra
負かす負け
쳐부수다패배
cladesvincere
defetizmasnesitikėjimas laimėtipesimistinispralaimėjimas
sakautsakāve
porazpremagati
besegrabesegrannederlag
ความพ่ายแพ้ทำให้พ่ายแพ้
đánh bạisự thất bại
defeat
[dɪˈfiːt]A. N [of army, team] → derrota f; [of ambition, plan] → fracaso m; [of bill, amendment] → rechazo m
eventually he admitted defeat → al final se dio por vencido
eventually he admitted defeat → al final se dio por vencido
B. VT [+ army, team, opponent] → vencer, derrotar; [+ plan, ambition] → hacer fracasar, frustrar; [+ hopes] → frustrar, defraudar (Pol) [+ party] → derrotar; [+ bill, amendment] → rechazar (fig) → vencer
this will defeat its own ends → esto será contraproducente
the problem defeats me → el problema me supera
it defeated all our efforts → burló todos nuestros esfuerzos
this will defeat its own ends → esto será contraproducente
the problem defeats me → el problema me supera
it defeated all our efforts → burló todos nuestros esfuerzos
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
defeat
[dɪˈfiːt] n [army] → défaite f; [team] → défaite f
defeat by → défaite par
Germany's 2-1 defeat by Sweden → la défaite de l'Allemagne par deux buts à un face à la Suède
to be a defeat for sb → être un échec pour qn
defeat by → défaite par
Germany's 2-1 defeat by Sweden → la défaite de l'Allemagne par deux buts à un face à la Suède
to be a defeat for sb → être un échec pour qn
vt
(= beat) [+ team, opponent] → battre; [+ party] → battre
to be defeated in an election [party] → être battu(e) à une élection
to be defeated in an election [party] → être battu(e) à une élection
to be defeated (= not adopted) [proposal] → rejeter
[+ plans, efforts] → faire échouer
to defeat sb (= be too difficult for) [challenge, task] → mettre qn en échec
The zip defeated him → La fermeture éclair le mit en échec.
The zip defeated him → La fermeture éclair le mit en échec.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
defeat
n (= defeating) → Besiegung f, → Sieg m (→ of über +acc); (of motion, bill) → Ablehnung f; (of hopes, plans) → Vereitelung f; (= being defeated) → Niederlage f; their defeat of the enemy → ihr Sieg über den Feind; their defeat by the enemy → ihre Besiegung or Niederlage durch den Feind; to admit defeat → sich geschlagen geben; to suffer a defeat → eine Niederlage erleiden
vt army, team → besiegen, schlagen; government → eine Niederlage beibringen (+dat), → besiegen; motion, bill → ablehnen; hopes, plans → vereiteln; to defeat one’s own ends or object → sich (dat or acc) → ins eigene Fleisch schneiden; that would be defeating the purpose of the exercise → dann verliert die Übung ihren Sinn; it defeats me why … (inf) → es will mir einfach nicht in den Kopf, warum … (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
defeat
[dɪˈfiːt]1. n (of army, team) → sconfitta; (more serious) → disfatta; (of ambition, plan) → fallimento, insuccesso
2. vt (army, team, opponent) → sconfiggere, battere; (plan, ambition, efforts) → frustrare (Pol) (party) → sconfiggere; (bill, amendment) → respingere
to defeat one's own ends → far fallire i propri obiettivi
to defeat one's own ends → far fallire i propri obiettivi
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
defeat
(diˈfiːt) verb to win a victory over. They defeated our team by three goals; We will defeat the enemy eventually.
noun the loss of a game, battle, race etc. His defeat in the last race depressed him; We suffered yet another defeat.
deˈfeated adjective (negative undefeated). a defeated enemy.
deˈfeatism noun a state of mind in which one expects and accepts defeat too easily. The defeatism of the captain affects the rest of the players.
deˈfeatist noun, adjective (of) a person who gives up too easily and is too easily discouraged. She is such a defeatist; She has a defeatist attitude to life.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
defeat
→ هَزِيـمَة, يَهْزِمُ porazit, porážka besejre, nederlag besiegen, Niederlage ήττα, νικώ derrota, derrotar tappio, voittaa battre, défaite poraz, poraziti sconfiggere, sconfitta 負かす, 負け 쳐부수다, 패배 nederlaag, verslaan nederlag, tape pokonać, porażka derrota, derrotar наносить поражение, поражение besegra, nederlag ความพ่ายแพ้, ทำให้พ่ายแพ้ yenilgi, yenmek đánh bại, sự thất bại 击败Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009