defeat

Fetched 2026-11-04 (live).

Synonyms: defect, deseat, defat

Antonyms: defect, deseat, defat

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Verb

1. To overcome in battle or contest.
   • Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
2. To reduce, to nothing, the strength of.
3. To nullify
4. To prevent (something) from being achieved.

Noun

1. The act or instance of being defeated, of being overcome or vanquished; a loss.
   • Licking their wounds after a temporary defeat, they planned their next move.
2. The act or instance of defeating, of overcoming, vanquishing.
   • The inscription records her defeat of the country's enemies in a costly war.
3. Frustration (by prevention of success), stymieing; nullification.
4. Destruction, ruin.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wiktionary) · cached copy, not a rewrite.