Definitions for defeat
dɪˈfitde·feat

Princeton's WordNet(2.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. defeat, lickingnoun

   an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest

   "it was a narrow defeat"; "the army's only defeat"; "they suffered a convincing licking"

2. frustration, defeatverb

   the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals

3. get the better of, overcome, defeatverb

   win a victory over

   "You must overcome all difficulties"; "defeat your enemies"; "He overcame his shyness"; "He overcame his infirmity"; "Her anger got the better of her and she blew up"

4. kill, shoot down, defeat, vote down, vote outverb

   thwart the passage of

   "kill a motion"; "he shot down the student's proposal"

Wiktionary(2.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. defeatnoun

   The act of defeating or being defeated

   Etymology: from desfait, from the verb desfaire des + faciō (to unmake).

2. defeatverb

   To overcome in battle or contest.

   Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.

   Etymology: from desfait, from the verb desfaire des + faciō (to unmake).

3. defeatverb

   To destroy, ruin, undo, lay waste to.

   Etymology: from desfait, from the verb desfaire des + faciō (to unmake).

4. defeatverb

   To nullify; to reduce, to nothing, the strength of.

   Etymology: from desfait, from the verb desfaire des + faciō (to unmake).

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Defeatverb

   to undo; to disfigure; to destroy

   Etymology: [Cf. F. dfaite, fr. dfaire. See Defeat, v.]

2. Defeatverb

   to render null and void, as a title; to frustrate, as hope; to deprive, as of an estate

   Etymology: [Cf. F. dfaite, fr. dfaire. See Defeat, v.]

3. Defeatverb

   to overcome or vanquish, as an army; to check, disperse, or ruin by victory; to overthrow

   Etymology: [Cf. F. dfaite, fr. dfaire. See Defeat, v.]

4. Defeatverb

   to resist with success; as, to defeat an assault

   Etymology: [Cf. F. dfaite, fr. dfaire. See Defeat, v.]

5. Defeat

   an undoing or annulling; destruction

   Etymology: [Cf. F. dfaite, fr. dfaire. See Defeat, v.]

6. Defeat

   frustration by rendering null and void, or by prevention of success; as, the defeat of a plan or design

   Etymology: [Cf. F. dfaite, fr. dfaire. See Defeat, v.]

7. Defeat

   an overthrow, as of an army in battle; loss of a battle; repulse suffered; discomfiture; -- opposed to victory

   Etymology: [Cf. F. dfaite, fr. dfaire. See Defeat, v.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Defeat

   de-fēt′, v.t. to frustrate: to ruin.—n. a frustration of plans: ruin: overthrow, as of an army in battle.—n. Defeat′ure (Spens.), defeat: disfigurement, disguise. [O. Fr. defait, defaire, to undo—L. dis, neg. facĕre, to do.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. defeat

   This word expresses the complete want of success of an army; a repulse signifying less, and a rout more, than defeat.

2. defeat

   To resist with success; as, to defeat an assault.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'defeat' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3245

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'defeat' in Nouns Frequency: #1306

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'defeat' in Verbs Frequency: #623

How to pronounce defeat?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say defeat in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of defeat in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of defeat in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of defeat in a Sentence

1. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee:

   I'll keep all the options on the table in order to defeat the evil forces of radical Islam.

2. Dawoud Shehab:

   Israel is trying to divert attention from the defeat that it suffered in the face of the determination of the hero prisoner, Mohammed Allan.

3. Faysal Itani:

   An IS defeat in Kobani would quite visibly undermine the perception of unstoppable momentum and inevitable victory that IS managed to project, particularly after it captured Mosul.

4. Dag Hammarskjöld:

   The pursuit of peace and progress cannot end in a few years in either victory or defeat. The pursuit of peace and progress, with its trials and its errors, its successes and its setbacks, can never be relaxed and never abandoned.

5. Simon Tung:

   It got to a point where it went from anxiety to frustration to defeat, and you're just laughing at everything.

Popularity rank by frequency of use