1
as in disobeying
to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of
in those days a woman was brave if she defied fashion and wore white after Labor Day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in daring
to invite (someone) to take part in a contest or to perform a feat
after missing the target, she defied her boyfriend to do better
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in confronting
to oppose (something hostile or dangerous) with firmness or courage
a rescue team willing to defy the raging storm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in resisting
to refuse to give in to
a bicyclist who regularly defies illness and infirmity in order to compete in races
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 defying
The current Congress has set a modern record for the use of this GOP leadership-defying maneuver — resulting in the passage of a Ukraine aid bill and a worker contracts bill during this month alone.
—
Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 June 2026
The company that’s accustomed to defying gravity is now defying market physics.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
Robert Morris, who popularized performance-lectures in the 1960s, was a quintessential category-defying artist.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 16 June 2026
Oliver Tree, a genre-defying singer-songwriter and Santa Cruz native, was one of six people killed when two helicopters collided Sunday morning in Brazil, according to the Associated Press.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026
With the help of precision medicine and months of treatment, Hadley began defying expectations.
—Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 13 June 2026
In May, the Phillies’ gravity-defying left-hander threw 207 changeups.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 12 June 2026
Famous for integrating the University of Mississippi four years earlier, Meredith was on the second day of a walk from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, with the aims of registering voters and defying white intimidation.
—Aram Goudsouzian, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
What to read this week Since the start of the Iran war, a slew of workarounds is keeping crude oil below $100 a barrel, defying many of the industry’s grimmest forecasts for prices as high as $200.
—Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 9 June 2026
Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 June 2026
The company that’s accustomed to defying gravity is now defying market physics.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
Robert Morris, who popularized performance-lectures in the 1960s, was a quintessential category-defying artist.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 16 June 2026
Oliver Tree, a genre-defying singer-songwriter and Santa Cruz native, was one of six people killed when two helicopters collided Sunday morning in Brazil, according to the Associated Press.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026
With the help of precision medicine and months of treatment, Hadley began defying expectations.
—Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 13 June 2026
In May, the Phillies’ gravity-defying left-hander threw 207 changeups.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 12 June 2026
Famous for integrating the University of Mississippi four years earlier, Meredith was on the second day of a walk from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, with the aims of registering voters and defying white intimidation.
—Aram Goudsouzian, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
What to read this week Since the start of the Iran war, a slew of workarounds is keeping crude oil below $100 a barrel, defying many of the industry’s grimmest forecasts for prices as high as $200.
—Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 9 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defying
Verb
-
Jakubowski faces charges of second-degree reckless endangerment, risk of injury to a minor, reckless driving, interfering with an officer, improper use of maker plates, possession of drug paraphernalia, disobeying the signal of an officer and failure to maintain the proper lane.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
29 May 2026
-
Icarus disobeying his father Daedalus and flying too close to the sun.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
State workers from six departments were bestowed with California’s highest honor for public employees who have performed daring rescues in extreme conditions, including floods, wildfires and active shooter incidents.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
-
Wang has made a habit of wearing daring looks at recent events.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
In this timely and personal film, Hardwicke wanted to capture the lives of skateboarders, artists and musicians who strive to live in freedom while confronting their often-traumatic pasts amid a streetscape sometimes marked by violence, drugs and mental illness.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
18 June 2026
-
Rather than confronting her mom, the teenager decided to wait until Rose was ready to share the news herself.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
He was arrested on suspicion of brandishing a weapon, resisting arrest with violence, resisting arrest, trespassing and being too intoxicated to care for himself in public, police said.—
Jose Fabian,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
After her third arrest in November 2024, Chelsea pled guilty in February 2025 to charges of resisting or obstructing an officer, felony bail jumping and possession of methamphetamine, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.—
Anna Myers,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Beloved actor Ron Perlman fully leans into trying to make the contestants fail this task by forcing eye contact, asking them polite questions, rebuking their bad manners in ignoring him, and even doggedly getting into their personal space.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
-
Unfortunately, sometimes the brain is too efficient, leading us to cling to false information and unproductive habits while ignoring information that could clearly benefit us.—
Dr. Deepika Chopra,
Flow Space,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The Yankees are coming dangerously close to challenging the franchise's longest period between titles -- an 18-year drought that was snapped in 1996.—
Jeff Capellini,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
However, mimicking neuromodulation in conventional neuromorphic hardware is challenging, typically requiring dramatically more complex designs.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Ventura was the only defendant not facing life in prison without the possibility of parole.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
While Burnham plots his next move, the UK government now enters a new period of uncertainty, potentially facing a sixth prime minister in seven years.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Others also questioned how much time was allotted for those opposing the project, such as Flojaune Cofer, who is running to replace Serna on the board and appears likely to advance to the November general election.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
-
The video was obviously not received well, and officials at Texas Tech were enduring a tremendous amount of backlash from opposing conference leaders from across the Big 12.—
Trey Wallace,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defying. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
