defeat 1 of 2

verb

di-ˈfēt How to pronounce defeat (audio)
Definition of defeatnext
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

defeat

2 of 2

noun

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb defeat differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of defeat are conquer, overcome, overthrow, reduce, subdue, and vanquish. While all these words mean "to get the better of by force or strategy," defeat does not imply the finality or completeness of vanquish which it otherwise equals.

the Confederates defeated the Union forces at Manassas

When is conquer a more appropriate choice than defeat?

In some situations, the words conquer and defeat are roughly equivalent. However, conquer implies gaining mastery of.

Caesar conquered Gaul

When could overcome be used to replace defeat?

While in some cases nearly identical to defeat, overcome suggests getting the better of with difficulty or after hard struggle.

overcame a host of bureaucratic roadblocks

When might overthrow be a better fit than defeat?

While the synonyms overthrow and defeat are close in meaning, overthrow stresses the bringing down or destruction of existing power.

violently overthrew the old regime

When can reduce be used instead of defeat?

The meanings of reduce and defeat largely overlap; however, reduce implies a forcing to capitulate or surrender.

the city was reduced after a month-long siege

Where would subdue be a reasonable alternative to defeat?

The words subdue and defeat are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, subdue implies a defeating and suppression.

subdued the native tribes after years of fighting

When would vanquish be a good substitute for defeat?

The synonyms vanquish and defeat are sometimes interchangeable, but vanquish implies a complete overpowering.

vanquished the enemy and ended the war

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defeat
Verb
The Phillies defeated the Mariners 12-7. —Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025 Clearly, the Times cannot be punished either for disliking him or for trying to defeat him. —Stephen L. Carter, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
The Nerazzurri are reeling from their dramatic defeat in Turin on Saturday and travel to Amsterdam in need of a pick-me-up. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025 Following its defeat by Communist Party forces in the Chinese Civil War, the Chinese Nationalist movement, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to the island in 1949 as a government in exile. —Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for defeat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeat
  1. overcome
  2. loss
  3. collapse
  4. master
  5. beating
  6. failure
  7. beat
  8. setback
Verb
  • The researchers spent years overcoming these issues before finding a condition that worked consistently.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Mandatory reporting aims to overcome the many reasons people might otherwise stay silent such as fear of retaliation, reluctance to damage relationships, or simple unwillingness to get involved.
    — Nina A. Kohn, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of overcome
Noun
  • The expansion team has lost each of its last five games against the Lynx, and most recently suffered one of their worst losses of the season in Game 1 on Sunday in a 29-point defeat.
    — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The biggest losses were reported in the District of Columbia ($34,400), Florida ($32,100), and Montana ($26,900).
    — Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of loss
Noun
  • The Rangers don’t hold the tiebreaker over either team and would need a massive collapse from both to get back in the division hunt.
    — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2025
  • None of the engagements produced their intended outcomes, and, in the case of Colvin’s dealings with Mauriss, the collapse of their pact led to legal threats.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Even professional translators in Shanghai and New York are scrambling to master new AI models to safeguard their jobs.
    — Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The star recalled his early days, from performing with Michael Jackson and being friends with Alfonso, before learning how to master his Tango routine.
    — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of master
Noun
  • Genser argued that those injuries did not contribute to her death and that there was no evidence of a beating taking place in the condo.
    — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Detainees have alleged torture and beatings inside CECOT since their release.
    — Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Definition of beating
Noun
  • But the shot has been a life-saving public health intervention against the disease, which can lead to severe health problems, including liver cancer and failure, and death.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Johnson has faced six rule vote failures under his speakership, with the most recent on July 15.
    — Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of failure
Verb
  • The Golden Bears opened the 2024 season by beating UC Davis 31-13, Auburn 21-14 and SDSU 31-10.
    — Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The South Korean automaker is projected to easily beat 2024 sales numbers for both EV models.
    — Charles Singh, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of beat
Noun
  • Jackson faced several setbacks this season but proved her fitness during the 100-meter dash rounds the past two days.
    — Katelyn Hutchison, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Sunday’s setback, Johnson said, occurred in the same affected area but in a new way.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Definition of setback

Browse Nearby Words

defeasances
defeat
defeated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeat. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on defeat

Nglish: Translation of defeat for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Putting Adjectives in the Right Order

A Guide to Using Semicolons
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

Color Words to Describe Autumn Leaves

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

12 Words Whose History Will Surprise You
See More

Popular

See More

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

Color Words to Describe Autumn Leaves
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
vector image of a face with thought expression
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Take a (break/brake) and (pore/pour) over this (c...
See All