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tr.v. de·feat·ed, de·feat·ing, de·feats 1. To do better than (another) in a competition or battle; win victory over; beat: "Whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same" (Thomas Paine). 2. To prevent the success of; thwart: Internal strife defeats the purpose of teamwork. 3. Law a. To frustrate the enforcement of (a motion, for example). b. To make (an estate, for example) void; annul. 4. a. To dishearten or dispirit: The last setback defeated her, and she gave up. b. To be beyond the comprehension of; mystify: How the children found their way back home defeats me. n. 1. a. The act of defeating an opponent: the home team's defeat of their rivals. b. The state of being defeated; failure to win: the home team's defeat by their rivals. 2. A coming to naught; frustration: the defeat of a lifelong dream. 3. Law a. The act of overcoming or frustrating the enforcement of. b. Law The act of making null and void. [Middle English defeten, from defet, disfigured, from Old French desfait, past participle of desfaire, to destroy, from Medieval Latin disfacere, to destroy, mutilate, undo : Latin dis-, dis- + Latin facere, to do; see dhē- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] de·feater n. Synonyms: defeat, beat, conquer, rout1, vanquish These verbs mean to triumph over an adversary: defeated the opposing team by fourteen points; beat her competitor in the race for first place; conquered the enemy after a long battle; routed all opposition due to a brilliant strategy; vanquished the marauding army in a surprise attack. |
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