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defeat

Syllabification: (de·feat)
Pronunciation: /diˈfēt/
Translate defeat | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of defeat

verb

[with object]
  • win a victory over (someone) in a battle or other contest; overcome or beat:Arab armies defeated the Byzantine garrison
  • prevent (someone) from achieving an aim:she was defeated by the last steep hill
  • prevent (an aim) from being achieved:don’t cheat by allowing your body to droop—this defeats the object of the exercise
  • reject or block (a motion or proposal):the amendment was defeated
  • be impossible for (someone) to understand:this line of reasoning defeats me, I must confess
  • Law render null and void; annul.

noun

  • an instance of defeating or being defeated:the defeat of the Armada in 1588 she had still not quite admitted defeat

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'undo, destroy, annul'): from Old French desfait 'undone', past participle of desfaire, from medieval Latin disfacere 'undo'

defeat in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of defeat in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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