as in canyon
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage
the cattle, once they were cornered in the defile, were quickly rounded up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to pollute
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
supplies of meat that had been defiled by maggots
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to violate
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect
art conservators were careful not to do anything that might defile the holy relic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of defile
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
Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
The 37-year-old former Fairfax County police recruit has since been indicted on charges of first-degree murder and physically defiling a dead body.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 4 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for defile
Noun
Almost 200 species of birds have been seen in high-walled Ramsey Canyon, a lush defile in the Huachuca Mountains south of Sierra Vista that's managed by the Nature Conservancy.
—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
Verb
Naresh Bhatt was arrested in August on a charge of concealing a dead body and now faces charges of murder and physically defiling a dead body after police found evidence in their Manassas Park home that her body was dismembered.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
The 37-year-old former Fairfax County police recruit has since been indicted on charges of first-degree murder and physically defiling a dead body.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 4 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for defile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defile
Noun
-
That initial drive was merely the opening act for the hike-able mesas, canyons, and sky-high sandstone beyond the visitor center gates.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2025
-
The octopus inhabits underwater canyons at depths of 3,400 to 5,000 feet.—
Real-Time news team,
Miami Herald,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
In recent weeks, the flaws in the technology have crossed over into absurd territory: For example, by generating a summer reading list of fake books and legal documents polluted with serious errors and fabrications.—
Ryan Faughnder,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
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The Hazel Johnson ordinance grew out of a 2020 federal civil rights complaint filed by the Southeast Environmental Task Force and other groups challenging the city’s concentration of polluting industries in certain neighborhoods.—
Brian J. Rogal,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
In Minnesota, leaders are bracing for the possibility that Trump will pardon Chauvin, who is serving concurrent state and federal prison sentences for murder, violating Floyd's constitutional rights and other crimes.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
-
The refrigerator was not cold enough and two cats roamed the shop, violating state food code.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
Some of the most photogenic stops include Cathedral Falls, a roadside cascade 20 minutes from Fayetteville that spills like a silver ribbon into a mossy gorge; and Valley Falls, a local favorite south of Fairmont with broad rocky ledges ideal for picnicking or dipping your toes.—
West Virginia Tourism,
AFAR Media,
9 May 2025
-
The gifted pair play snipers on either side of a gorge that holds, well, something terrifying.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
5 May 2025
Verb
-
As the film unfolds, Wilson finds out that Sterns, the movie's villain, has been the mastermind behind the entire plot and has been poisoning Ross with gamma rays via pills for years.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
28 May 2025
-
Intermediately, because a member of Ethan’s team, Claire (Emmanuelle Béart) has poisoned Donloe, which results in Donloe having some pretty intense gastrointestinal reactions.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
These things could be coincidental, or could, as the main character suggests, be the work of fairies upset that their pools were desecrated in this way.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
18 May 2025
-
The audit also noted a Jewish cemetery in Waterbury that was vandalized with more than 12 gravestones desecrated.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The cyclist was helped from the ravine and emergency services transported him on a stretcher to the hospital.—
Natasha Dye,
People.com,
27 May 2025
-
When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
Cades Cove Feel enveloped in mountain majesty by visiting this scenic valley in Townsend, Tennessee that’s fully surrounded by the mountain range.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
18 May 2025
-
When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defile. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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