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
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
Texas voted for Trump by double digits last year, but Democrats are hopeful the race could become competitive next year—particularly if Paxton defeats Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Crosser noted that just before Black Hat, Zoom released a patch that defeats the TURNt attack, but Teams is still vulnerable.
—PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2025
Ben Morse, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Think about athletes who train for years, face setbacks, injuries and defeats, yet continue pushing toward their goals.
—Aurelien Mangano, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
These defeats happened faster than anyone predicted.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
The club has won one match and drawn three on the campaign to go with two defeats, scoring nine goals and giving up 10 in the process.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Now, Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Giants came after three defeats in Los Angeles over the weekend.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
And here are the club’s biggest defeats, losing three matches by seven goals and four matches by six goals.
—Will Jeanes, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025
Even battlefield defeats — Kyiv in spring 2022, Kharkiv and Kherson that fall — have not shifted his ambitions.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
Texas voted for Trump by double digits last year, but Democrats are hopeful the race could become competitive next year—particularly if Paxton defeats Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Crosser noted that just before Black Hat, Zoom released a patch that defeats the TURNt attack, but Teams is still vulnerable.
—PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
Interestingly, her three defeats at the grand slams this year have come at the hands of American opponents.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Think about athletes who train for years, face setbacks, injuries and defeats, yet continue pushing toward their goals.
—Aurelien Mangano, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
These defeats happened faster than anyone predicted.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
The club has won one match and drawn three on the campaign to go with two defeats, scoring nine goals and giving up 10 in the process.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Now, Monday’s 4-3 loss to the Giants came after three defeats in Los Angeles over the weekend.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025
And here are the club’s biggest defeats, losing three matches by seven goals and four matches by six goals.
—Will Jeanes, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025
Even battlefield defeats — Kyiv in spring 2022, Kharkiv and Kherson that fall — have not shifted his ambitions.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeats
Verb
-
Saginaw’s surge overcomes Boswell The Pioneers of Boswell dominated play in the opening half, building a 21-0 lead that looked rock solid behind a persistent defense and an offense balanced with good running and passing.—
Pat Wheeler,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The technology overcomes the key trade-off between energy density and charging speed that limited previous lithium-metal battery designs.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Florida Democrats, weakened by years of losses and fractured messaging, continue to face a shrinking electorate.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Many savers saw losses early in the year, though.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Last season evolved into a 6-11 record beneath a year-long black cloud of injuries, personal traumas, fourth-quarter collapses, defensive deficiencies, and special-teams chaos.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Without adaptation, profitability collapses and solvency risks rise.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 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
-
For the next three years, early intervention programs — including reading, music and speech therapy — helped monitor Ness' children, looking for possible cognitive or learning setbacks.—
Jeff Truesdell,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Using real-world victories and setbacks, Williams outlines a replicable approach to leadership that empowers readers to achieve meaningful, lasting impact for their companies or communities.—
Forbes Books Press Release Official,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Every moment the Senate waits to confirm Antoni to overhaul the systemic failures of the BLS is one that risks the stability of global finance and American wealth.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The high-profile bank failures of 2023—including Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank—triggered a contraction in CRE lending, particularly among regional banks.—
Andrew DeNardo,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Our phone cameras are fun and all, but nothing beats the feeling of holding an actual camera that is all specced up.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Their late son Noah's heart beats in her chest.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Detainees have alleged torture and beatings inside CECOT since their release.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The beatings became so routine that the Venezuelans scored them on a scale of one to five—the higher the number, the worse the treatment.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeats. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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