DEFEAT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does defeat mean? 

• DEFEAT (noun)
  The noun DEFEAT has 2 senses:

1. an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest

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

  Familiarity information: DEFEAT used as a noun is rare.

• DEFEAT (verb)
  The verb DEFEAT has 2 senses:

1. win a victory over

2. thwart the passage of

  Familiarity information: DEFEAT used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DEFEAT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

defeat; licking

Context example:

they suffered a convincing licking

Hypernyms ("defeat" is a kind of...):

failure (an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose)

conclusion; ending; finish (event whose occurrence ends something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "defeat"):

lurch (a decisive defeat in a game (especially in cribbage))

rout (an overwhelming defeat)

shutout; skunk (a defeat in a game where one side fails to score)

debacle; drubbing; slaughter; thrashing; trouncing; walloping; whipping (a sound defeat)

waterloo (a final crushing defeat)

whitewash (a defeat in which the losing person or team fails to score)

heartbreaker (a narrow defeat or a defeat at the last minute)

Antonym:

victory (a successful ending of a struggle or contest)

Derivation:

defeat (thwart the passage of)

defeatist (someone who is resigned to defeat without offering positive suggestions)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

defeat; frustration

Hypernyms ("defeat" is a kind of...):

disappointment; letdown (a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized)

Derivation:

defeatist (someone who is resigned to defeat without offering positive suggestions)

• DEFEAT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they defeat    ... he / she / it defeats   
Past simple: defeated   
Past participle: defeated   
-ing form: defeating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Win a victory over

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Synonyms:

defeat; get the better of; overcome

Context example:

Her anger got the better of her and she blew up

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "defeat"):

come through; make it; pull round; pull through; survive (continue in existence after (an adversity, etc.))

conquer (overcome by conquest)

nose (defeat by a narrow margin)

upset (defeat suddenly and unexpectedly)

expel; rout; rout out (cause to flee)

lurch; skunk (defeat by a lurch)

overrun (seize the position of and defeat)

down (bring down or defeat (an opponent))

wallop (defeat soundly and utterly)

beat; beat out; crush; shell; trounce; vanquish (come out better in a competition, race, or conflict)

demolish; destroy (defeat soundly and humiliatingly)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

The fighter managed to defeat his opponent

Sense 2

Meaning:

Thwart the passage of

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

defeat; kill; shoot down; vote down; vote out

Context example:

he shot down the student's proposal

Hypernyms (to "defeat" is one way to...):

blackball; negative; veto (vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

defeat (an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest)

 Context examples 

Even now she would not own defeat.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He could not understand, and time and again, in despair, defeated and depressed, he returned to his article.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

“I’ll admit I don’t like defeat any more than you do, or any more than I like the idea of killing such pretty, inoffensive creatures.”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Thus we defeat him with his own weapon, for we make it more holy still.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Founded in 1945, FAO leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, NCI Thesaurus)

Meanwhile, self-defeating humour was linked to a greater tendency to suppress anger.

(Self-defeating humour promotes psychological well-being, University of Granada)

Excess emissions from defeat devices have been linked to about 50 to 100 US deaths per year.

(Diesel Pollutes More Than Lab Tests Detect, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Multidrug Resistance Induction involves initiation of activities of biologic molecules or complexes involved in processes that increase the ability of cancer cells to counteract, defeat, or withstand the effects of multiple chemotherapeutic agents.

(Multidrug Resistance Induction, NCI Thesaurus)

"A pair of boot lacings," returned Jo, guessing and defeating his purpose.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Though he suffered most of the damage and was always defeated, his spirit remained unsubdued.

(White Fang, by Jack London)