defile
1 of 3verb (1)
transitive verb
Patrick Moore James R. Gaines defile
2 of 3noun
ˈdē-ˌfī(-ə)l Michael Olmertdefile
3 of 3verb (2)
ˈdē-ˌfī(-ə)l intransitive verb
Washington Irving
Did you know?
It's likely that when you hear the verb defile, what comes to mind is not troop movements but, rather, something being contaminated or desecrated. That more commonly encountered homograph of defile, meaning "to make unclean or impure," dates back to the 15th century and is derived from the Anglo-French verb defoiller, meaning "to trample." The other verb homograph, on the other hand, arrived in English in the early 18th century. It is also from French but is derived from the verb défiler, formed by combining dé- with filer ("to move in a column"). Défiler is also the source of the English noun defile, which means "narrow passage or gorge."
Synonyms
Verb (1)
- befoul
- contaminate
- foul
- poison
- pollute
- taint
Noun
- canyon
- cañon
- col
- couloir
- flume
- gap
- gill [British]
- gorge
- gulch
- gulf
- kloof [South African]
- linn [chiefly Scottish]
- notch
- pass
- ravine
- saddle
Example Sentences
Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2022 He was charged with murder, rape and abduction with the intent to defile. Steve Helling, PEOPLE.com, 17 Nov. 2021 There's little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home, but then there's disdain for pluralism and their disregard for human life, and their determination to defile national symbols. ABC News, 12 Sep. 2021 The quick answer is that seven-inning games defile the traditions of what has been America’s most-traditional game. Patrick Reusse, Star Tribune, 15 Aug. 2020 Both journeys displayed how the forest was being defiled and colonised by outsiders: rubber-seekers who bled the trees and massacred the tribes, crazed religious sects. The Economist, 28 May 2020 Drug gangs kill with impunity, leaving their enemies’ defiled corpses displayed as warnings. Lorena Rios, Bloomberg.com, 11 Feb. 2020 In most hacks that defile our computers, tablets, and cellphones, a traditional vector is through new code that is introduced and executed. Frank O’brien, Ars Technica, 30 Jan. 2020 Krystal wouldn’t be defiled this early Tuesday morning — not after that Monday night. Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, 14 Jan. 2020 Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2022 Between Evergreen and Conifer Maxwell Creek slides north through a trailside defile, trembles through boulders in watery segments, and slips over black granite blocks in shimmery sheets at Maxwell Falls. Danika Worthington, The Know, 19 June 2020 The 27-year-old Woodbridge man was arrested and charged with abduction with intent to defile and burglary. Ria Manglapus And Lisa M. Bolton, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2019 Rather than simple abduction, Fairfax prosecutors charged Hughes with abduction with intent to defile, which carried a possible maximum sentence of life in prison. Tom Jackman, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2019 The easier higher slopes gave way below the timberline to defiles lined with tree roots and narrow ravines. Simon Akam, Outside Online, 27 Nov. 2019 From the open valley of the Río Chaschuil, the road suddenly plunged into narrow defiles where the rock was blushed with surreal mineral colors—crimson, verdigris, malachite, violet. Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2019 The path traces a gentle stream into a narrow defile framed by soaring cliffs. Roger Naylor, azcentral, 13 July 2018 The path traces a gentle stream into a narrow defile framed by soaring cliffs. Roger Naylor, azcentral, 13 July 2018 See More Word History
Verb (1)
Middle English, alteration (influenced by filen to defile, from Old English fȳlan) of defoilen to trample, defile, from Anglo-French defoiller, defuler, to trample, from de- + fuller, foller to trample, literally, to full — more at full
Noun
French défilé, from past participle of défiler — see defile entry 3
Verb (2)
French défiler, from dé- de- + filer to move in a column — more at file
Verb (1)
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun
1685, in the meaning defined above
Verb (2)
1705, in the meaning defined above
Legal Definition
defile
transitive verb
defile 1 of 2
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- canyon
- gorge
- ravine
- valley
- pass
- gulch
- saddle
- col
- gap
- linn
- crevice
- cañon
- kloof
- abyss
- trench
- couloir
- flume
- fissure
- gulf
- gutter
- notch
- cleft
- chasm
- glen
- gill
- crevasse
- vale
- wash
- cirque
- basin
- hollow
- dale
- combe
- coomb
- coombe
- cwm
- gully
- barranca
- coulee
- nullah
- dell
- floodplain
- wadi
- arroyo
- draw
- trough
- kettle
- gulley
- barranco
- shut-in
defile
2 of 2verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- pollute
- contaminate
- poison
- taint
- infect
- befoul
- sully
- foul
- soil
- dirty
- besmirch
- dilute
- stain
- adulterate
- smudge
- rot
- blacken
- muddy
- mire
- spoil
- corrupt
- smirch
- grime
- water down
- foul up
- begrime
- doctor
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- purify
- cleanse
- clean
- clarify
- purge
- clear
- decontaminate
- distill
- filter
- sterilize
- disinfect
- distil
- sanitize
Synonyms & Similar Words
- violate
- desecrate
- destroy
- ravage
- profane
- ruin
- demolish
- raid
- taint
- sully
- pollute
- contaminate
- insult
- blaspheme
- rob
- soil
- defame
- despoil
- offend
- plunder
- affront
- decimate
- pillage
- wreck
- befoul
- devastate
- swear
- desacralize
- curse
- poison
- foul
- desolate
- desanctify
- raze
- strip
- deconsecrate
- annihilate
- spoil
- sack
- waste
- loot
- outrage
- ransack
- crush
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sanctify
- consecrate
- bless
- dedicate
- honor
- respect
- purify
- hallow
- cleanse
- purge
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of defile are contaminate, pollute, and taint. While all these words mean "to make impure or unclean," defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.
The meanings of contaminate and defile largely overlap; however, contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.
While in some cases nearly identical to defile, pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.
The synonyms taint and defile are sometimes interchangeable, but taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.