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Definitions

defeat

[dih-feet] / dɪˈfit /






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.

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“No state alone can defeat an enemy that knows no borders,” he said this week at the United Nations General Assembly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Gordon said that he had "never felt worse", after the game and believes that the "scar" left by defeat may mean the England squad take a different approach in the next tournament.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

He teaches us to meet defeat with humility and surrender.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Her quest is not to defeat all of the monsters, but to always remember that every zombie was, like her, human.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

"You're going to help us defeat Nergal, aren't you?"

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Ugly back-to-back defeats have the Los Angeles Chargers off to the first 0-2 start of the legendary coach’s career—and it only becomes more difficult from here.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

To deem a film whose worst mistake is some inherent goofiness as “insidious” defeats the entire point.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

By that I mean you have to try to stay fresh and positive, because invariably you are going to go on bad runs of defeats like Coventry are on, which can drag your mood down.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Jayden Maiava passes for 261 yards and five touchdowns as No. 14 USC defeats Louisiana 49-30 to head into Big Ten play next week undefeated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

He oscillated hourly between anguish and exhilaration, multiplying fantastically the grandeur of his victories and exaggerating tragically the seriousness of his defeats.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called on the U.N. to remove references to defeated World War II nations as “enemy states” from its charter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Dillashaw defeated Cody Garbrandt by first-round knockout to win the bantamweight title at UFC 227.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Littler will now face fellow Englishman Nathan Aspinall, who defeated Raymond Smith 6-4.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has resigned after his ruling right-wing bloc was narrowly defeated by the centre-left opposition in the country's general election.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Yet through all its history, despite the rejection and the exile, zero has always defeated those who opposed it.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

He views defeating China in the AI race as a primary objective.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Soon he’ll tell us he carried dozens of people on his own back while personally defeating the terrorists.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

The Union soldiers found themselves unable to re-enact defeating them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

One of his proudest moments was defeating a Brazil team on its home soil.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

All during this meal he talks about the caterpillars: their numbers, their ingenuity, the various methods of defeating them.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood




Vocabulary lists containing defeat


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