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Defeat

//dɪˈfiːt// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act or instance of being defeated, of being overcome or vanquished; a loss. countable, uncountable

    "Licking their wounds after a temporary defeat, they planned their next move."

  2. 2
    an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest wordnet
  3. 3
    The act or instance of defeating, of overcoming, vanquishing. countable, uncountable

    "The inscription records her defeat of the country's enemies in a costly war."

  4. 4
    the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals wordnet
  5. 5
    Frustration (by prevention of success), stymieing; (law) nullification. countable, uncountable

    "... is subsequently issued to him, in accordance with his perfect equity thus acquired, by a legal fiction which the law creates for the protection, but not for the defeat, of his title."

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  1. 6
    Destruction, ruin. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "and made defeat of her virginity"

Verb
  1. 1
    To overcome in battle or contest. transitive

    "Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo."

  2. 2
    win a victory over wordnet
  3. 3
    To reduce, to nothing, the strength of. transitive

    "He finds himself naturally to dread a superior Being that can defeat all his designs, and disappoint all his hopes."

  4. 4
    thwart the passage of wordnet
  5. 5
    To nullify transitive

    "The escheators […] defeated the right heir of his succession."

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  1. 6
    To prevent (something) from being achieved.

    "The last active L.Y.R. 0-6-0ST (apart from works shunters), No. 51408, has been moved from Bolton to Agecroft for use in New Bailey Yard, Salford, where a sharp 1 in 27 curve is said to have defeated all attempts so far to employ diesel shunters; an ex-L.Y.R. 0-4-0ST also works here."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English defeten, from Middle English defet (“disfigured”, past participle) and defet (“defect”, noun), see Etymology 2 below.

Etymology 2

From Middle English defet, from French deffet, desfait, past participle of the verb desfaire (compare modern French défaire), from des- + faire.

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