as in overcomes
to achieve a victory over
they defeated their archrivals easily and moved into the next round of the play-offs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in losses
failure to win a contest
sore losers still griping about their defeat in the basketball game earlier that week
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in collapses
a falling short of one's goals
truly disheartened by the defeat of his plans to revitalize downtown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defeats
Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
The Vigenère cipher ingeniously defeats straightforward frequency analysis because not all E’s, for example, will get mapped to the same letter.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
True What color does the Honmoon turn when HUNTR/X defeats the Saja Boys?
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025
See video … WATCH CHARLIE HURT – Shutting the government down defeats the whole purpose of the Democratic Party.
—FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Mighty Bhima, strongest of the Pandava brothers, defeats Duryodhana by breaking his thighs and crushing his genitals with his mace, literally hitting him below the belt.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Providing a narrow network or mail-order-only option defeats the purpose.
—Wendy Barnes, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Getting vaccinated too early defeats the purpose.
—Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Some contend that going into the office defeats the purpose with many teams spread out across cities and time zones.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Players must compete again the next day, leaving no time to dwell on defeats, while the organization doesn’t take victories for granted either.
—Karl Moore, Forbes.com, 24 Oct. 2025
What has followed is wildcard losses, divisional round defeats and years of not making the postseason.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2025
The abundance of ties and narrow defeats have still served a purpose for the Wamps, though, especially with the postseason right around the corner.
—Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
And the matchup gives the Rebels their chance to inflict back-to-back defeats upon the Bulldogs for the first time in almost 30 years.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
These defeats come at a time of scandal.
—Ian Bremmer, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Suddenly, all these defeats coalesce in a way that could inspire anyone to hurl themself into the ocean.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
In these sparsely populated spaces, the mountain always defeats the human, instilling a deep respect for the environment.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
The Vigenère cipher ingeniously defeats straightforward frequency analysis because not all E’s, for example, will get mapped to the same letter.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
True What color does the Honmoon turn when HUNTR/X defeats the Saja Boys?
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025
See video … WATCH CHARLIE HURT – Shutting the government down defeats the whole purpose of the Democratic Party.
—FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Mighty Bhima, strongest of the Pandava brothers, defeats Duryodhana by breaking his thighs and crushing his genitals with his mace, literally hitting him below the belt.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Providing a narrow network or mail-order-only option defeats the purpose.
—Wendy Barnes, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Getting vaccinated too early defeats the purpose.
—Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Some contend that going into the office defeats the purpose with many teams spread out across cities and time zones.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
With leaves still clinging to the trees, Arne Slot had overseen four straight defeats, prompting searching questions to be asked of the head coach, the club’s summer transfer strategy, senior players and everything in between.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Players must compete again the next day, leaving no time to dwell on defeats, while the organization doesn’t take victories for granted either.
—Karl Moore, Forbes.com, 24 Oct. 2025
What has followed is wildcard losses, divisional round defeats and years of not making the postseason.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2025
The abundance of ties and narrow defeats have still served a purpose for the Wamps, though, especially with the postseason right around the corner.
—Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
And the matchup gives the Rebels their chance to inflict back-to-back defeats upon the Bulldogs for the first time in almost 30 years.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
These defeats come at a time of scandal.
—Ian Bremmer, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Suddenly, all these defeats coalesce in a way that could inspire anyone to hurl themself into the ocean.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeats
Verb
-
Robotic system overcomes key technical challenges If implemented at large scale, the system could help tackle range anxiety for EVs.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The depth of humanity Kosztolányi brings to the sorrowful life of Skylark and her adoring parents is magical, and rewards anyone who overcomes its modest premise.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Arne Slot’s team were vulnerable after three successive losses.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Chaparro also noted that bitcoin and ether suffered less losses compared to alternative crypto-assets in this month’s massive liquidation event.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The memories of those late-game collapses crept in when the Sabres’ 4-2 lead became 4-3 early in the third period.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Credit has become a hot topic in the market lately due to the notable collapses of auto parts manufacturer First Brands Group and the subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This storied sandwich is served each year at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia; and many have long tried to replicate the recipe, which seemingly masters the perfect ratio of ingredients for classic egg salad.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
23 Aug. 2025
-
Focus is difficult and hardly anyone masters the skill.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Occasional setbacks are part of the process—stay consistent and calm, and your dog will learn.—
Madeline Gunderson,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The city of Hastings has established registration and zoning requirements for retail cannabis sales, including setbacks from parks, schools and treatment facilities, said John Hinzman, community development director.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The director of Paris’ iconic Louvre Museum is facing scrutiny over apparent security failures that allowed thieves to make off with more than $100 million worth of jewels.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Their failures have hit the private credit industry.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Double beats — where a company beats on both revenue and earnings — are happening more often, too.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Good pitching beats good hitting.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But experiences similar to what Khaled shared—including extended kneeling, beatings, attacks by military dogs, and a lack of medical care—have been reported by human-rights groups, the United Nations, and news organizations.—
Mosab Abu Toha,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
-
From at least 1985 to 2005, the Latin Kings terrorized Milwaukee's south side through shootings, beatings, kidnappings, arson, drug dealing and other crimes, according to court documents.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeats. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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