defy
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.
See Examples For:
But just as humans do, old pipes can defy the odds and perform better than younger ones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Discount brokers don’t like to talk about how many customers defy the odds, but Peterffy’s firm provided an intriguing clue via an advertisement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
And one of their arguments at the time was that the role of the Supreme Court is to enforce federal law; it is not to defy federal law.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Monroe’s personal legacy is like a charm bracelet hung with more unsubstantiated rumors than genuine facts, but one undeniable trait was her thirst to defy the world’s expectations.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
“How dare you take a witch’s wand, how dare you defy your masters?”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
So singular that it all but defies any kind of tea-leaf-reading or, heaven forbid, attempts at replication.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Because it was his favorite kind of question: one that is simple to state yet defies a simple answer.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026
The gender split also defies the stereotypical image of the young male gamer.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
This aggression defies guidance from the Supreme Court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
A connection that defies the fact that we’ve only just met.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
When the homicide rate was rising, it defied criminologists’ expectations, breaking away from the property crime decline of the 2010s.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
China’s exports defied forecasts of a slowdown, providing a vital boost to an economy still weighed down by weak domestic demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Like he cannot believe this wonderful thing that has just happened even if he was the one who sweat and ran and defied physics to make it happen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee, who defied China and fled to Taiwan, has died aged 70.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Third, and finally, Adams derived deep personal satisfaction from singular acts of principle that defied the agendas of both political parties.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
A relentlessly driven, shrewd deal-maker and entrepreneur, Allen is used to defying skeptics and seeing opportunity in assets overlooked by others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Big companies are starting to hire again, defying predictions of an AI wipeout.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Doing this at the age of 39 is almost defying the law of physics.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Thousands of protesters started gathering from early Monday, defying a steady monsoon drizzle and police barricades put up on routes leading to the site.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Countenance cast down — yet defying Answer — he whispered: “I have never even dwellt inside myself.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Vocabulary lists containing defy
The Cay
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I Am Malala
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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