defeatverb [ T ]
uk/dɪˈfiːt/us/dɪˈfiːt/B1 to win against someone in a fight, war, or competition:
Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo.
They defeated the Italian team and reached the final.
See also
self-defeating
B2 to cause someone or something to fail:
The proposal to change the rules was narrowly defeated (= by a very small number) by 201 votes to 196.
Our ambitions for this tournament have been defeated by the weather.
I'm afraid anything that involves language learning has always defeated me (= I have been unable to do it).
More examples
- The French were defeated at Waterloo in 1815.
- The team were overwhelmingly defeated in yesterday's game.
- The North defeated the South in the American Civil War.
- The bill was defeated in the Commons by 249 votes to 131.
- The four-times champion was unexpectedly defeated in the second round of the competition.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Winning and defeating
- annihilate
- bank
- be one in the eye for sb idiom
- beat sb at their own game idiom
- beat sb hollow idiom
- outpace
- outperform
- outscore
- overpower
- overturn
- pip
- reel
- sew
- sweep
- trump
- unassailable
- unbeaten
- undefeated
- victorious
- wipe
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defeatnoun [ C or U ]
uk/dɪˈfiːt/us/dɪˈfiːt/B1 the fact of losing against someone in a fight or competition, or when someone or something is made to fail:
In the last election, they suffered a crushing/humiliating defeat.
After their defeat in battle, the soldiers surrendered.
She admitted/conceded defeat well before all the votes had been counted.
Compare
victory
admit defeat
to accept that you cannot do something:
I thought I could fix the radio myself, but I had to admit defeat.
More examples
- The Democrats suffered a crushing defeat in the last election.
- Her silence was taken as an admission of defeat.
- He was famed for his stubborn resistance and his refusal to accept defeat.
- Saturday's 2-0 defeat dashed their hopes of reaching the final.
- His defeat in the world championship led to a long period of gloomy introspection.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Winning and defeating
- annihilate
- bank
- be one in the eye for sb idiom
- beat sb at their own game idiom
- beat sb hollow idiom
- outpace
- outperform
- outscore
- overpower
- overturn
- pip
- reel
- sew
- sweep
- trump
- unassailable
- unbeaten
- undefeated
- victorious
- wipe
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Losing and being defeated