defeat — to win against someone in a fight, war, or competition
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to win against someone in a fight, war, or competition
Pronunciation (IPA): /dɪˈfit/
Example Sentences
- My mom defeated me in a cooking contest... with instant ramen.
- The small startup defeated the tech giant in the innovation award.
- I tried to defeat my laziness, but it won again today.
defeat
VERB[/dɪˈfit/]
to win against someone in a fight, war, or competition
He defeats his opponent — the rival drops to his knees, unable to continue.
Total defeat — can’t compete, lost his seat, forced to retreat.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Latin 'dis-' (completely) and 'facere' (to make, to do), literally meaning 'to undo completely.' It passed through Medieval French 'desfait' before entering English, evolving to denote the overthrow or vanquishment of an opponent.
Breakdown
dis- (completely) + facere (to make, to do), yielding the sense of completely undoing or destroying, which developed into the meaning of conquering or vanquishing in battle.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My mom defeated me in a cooking contest... with instant ramen.”
“The small startup defeated the tech giant in the innovation award.”
“I tried to defeat my laziness, but it won again today.”
“The candidate's scandal led to his defeat in the election.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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