First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1defeat
verb de·feat \di-ˈfēt, dē-\
: to win a victory over (someone or something) in a war, contest, game, etc.
: to cause (someone or something) to fail
: to control or overcome (something)
Full Definition of DEFEAT
transitive verb
1
obsolete : destroy
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Origin of DEFEAT
Middle English deffeten, from Anglo-French defait, past participle of defaire, desfaire to destroy, from Medieval Latin disfacere, from Latin dis- + facere to do — more at do
Related to DEFEAT
Synonym Discussion of DEFEAT
conquer, vanquish, defeat, subdue, reduce, overcome, overthrow mean to get the better of by force or strategy. conquer implies gaining mastery of <Caesar conquered Gaul>. vanquish implies a complete overpowering <vanquished the enemy and ended the war>. defeat does not imply the finality or completeness of vanquish which it otherwise equals <the Confederates defeated the Union forces at Manassas>. subdue implies a defeating and suppression <subdued the native tribes after years of fighting>. reduce implies a forcing to capitulate or surrender <the city was reduced after a month-long siege>. overcome suggests getting the better of with difficulty or after hard struggle <overcame a host of bureaucratic roadblocks>. overthrow stresses the bringing down or destruction of existing power <violently overthrew the old regime>.
Rhymes with DEFEAT
accrete, aesthete, afreet, athlete, backbeat, backseat, backstreet, bedsheet, bench seat, big beat, bolete, box pleat, box seat, break beat, broadsheet, browbeat, buckwheat, bystreet, call sheet, car seat, cheat sheet, clipsheet, cloud street, cold feet, compete, compleat, complete, conceit, concrete, crabmeat, crib sheet, deadbeat, dead heat, dead meat, deceit, delete, deplete, discreet, discrete, disseat, downbeat, drop seat, drumbeat, dutch treat, effete, elite, en suite, entreat, escheat, excrete, facete, Fleet Street, fly sheet, forcemeat, foresheet, four-peat, gamete, groundsheet, hard wheat, heartbeat, heat-treat, helpmeet, hoofbeat, hot seat, house seat, ice sheet, ill-treat, jump seat, kick pleat, love seat, mainsheet, Main Street, maltreat, mesquite, mincemeat, mistreat, offbeat, Ossete, petite, pink sheet, preheat, rap sheet, receipt, recheat, red heat, red meat, red wheat, regreet, repeat, replete, retreat, scratch sheet, secrete, side street, slip-sheet, soft wheat, spreadsheet, stand treat, swap meet, sweetmeat, tear sheet, terete, three-peat, through street, time sheet, unmeet, unseat, upbeat, vegete, volkslied, white heat
2defeat
noun
: failure to succeed or to win
: the act of winning a victory over someone or something
Full Definition of DEFEAT
1
: frustration by nullification or by prevention of success <the bill suffered defeat in the Senate>
2
obsolete : destruction
3
a : an overthrow especially of an army in battle b : the loss of a contest
See defeat defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of DEFEAT
1590
Related to DEFEAT
DEFEATED Defined for Kids
1defeat
verb de·feat \di-ˈfēt\
de·feat·edde·feat·ing
Definition of DEFEAT for Kids
1
: to win victory over <The champs defeated their rivals handily.>
2
: to cause to fail or be destroyed <The bill was defeated in Congress.>
2defeat
noun
Definition of DEFEAT for Kids
: loss of a contest or battle
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