Etymology dictionary. 2014.
defeat — de·feat vt [Anglo French defait, past participle of defaire to undo, defeat, from Old French deffaire desfaire, from de , prefix marking reversal of action + faire to do] 1 a: to render null third parties will defeat an attached but “unperfected” … Law dictionary
Defeat — De*feat , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Defeated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Defeating}.] [From F. d[ e]fait, OF. desfait, p. p. ofe d[ e]faire, OF. desfaire, to undo; L. dis + facere to do. See {Feat}, {Fact}, and cf. {Disfashion}.] 1. To undo; to disfigure; to… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
defeat — [n1] overthrow, beating ambush, annihilation, beating, blow, break, breakdown, check, collapse, conquest, count, debacle, defeasance, destruction, discomfiture, downthrow, drubbing*, embarrassment, extermination, failure, fall, insuccess,… … New thesaurus
Defeat — De*feat , n. [Cf. F. d[ e]faite, fr. d[ e]faire. See {Defeat}, v.] 1. An undoing or annulling; destruction. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Upon whose property and most dear life A damned defeat was made. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Frustration by rendering… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Defeat — may be the opposite of victory Debellatio Surrender (military) usually follows a defeat Defeat, piece by a boy (pseudonym Chris Hughes Davis, real name unknown). See also Defeatism Failure List of military disasters … Wikipedia
defeat — vb beat, *conquer, vanquish, lick, subdue, subjugate, reduce, overcome, surmount, overthrow, rout Analogous words: *frustrate, thwart, foil, baffle, balk, circumvent, outwit deep rooted, Contrasted words: *yield, submit, capitulate, succumb, cave … New Dictionary of Synonyms
defeat — ► VERB 1) win a victory over. 2) prevent from achieving an aim or prevent (an aim) from being achieved. 3) reject or block (a proposal or motion). ► NOUN ▪ an instance of defeating or the state of being defeated. ORIGIN Old French desfaire, from… … English terms dictionary
defeat — [dē fēt′, difēt′] vt. [ME defeten < defet, disfigured, null and void < OFr desfait, pp. of desfaire, to undo < ML disfacere, to deface, ruin < L dis , from + facere, to DO1] 1. to win victory over; overcome; beat 2. to bring to… … English World dictionary
defeat — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun ADJECTIVE ▪ complete, comprehensive (esp. BrE), decisive, heavy, major, overwhelming, resounding, serious, stunning, total … Collocations dictionary
defeat — de|feat1 W3 [dıˈfi:t] n [U and C] 1.) failure to win or succeed ▪ She was a woman who hated to admit defeat . ▪ The Democratic Party candidate has already conceded defeat . defeat in ▪ The socialist party suffered a crushing defeat in the French… … Dictionary of contemporary English
