defeat

CEFRB1

/dɪˈfiːt/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To win against someone in a contest or fight.

  2. 02

    noun

    Failure to win a contest or fight.

Examples

  • The Giants were well on the way to defeat.

  • The lawsuit is likely to end in our defeat.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To nullify

  2. To reduce, to nothing, the strength of.

  3. To overcome in battle or contest.

More examples

In context

  • The party faces defeat in the election.

  • Licking their wounds after a temporary defeat, they planned their next move.

  • The inscription records her defeat of the country's enemies in a costly war.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The team's blank in the championship left them devastated and silent.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English defeten, from Middle English defet (“disfigured”, past participle) and defet (“defect”, noun), see Etymology 2 below.