- defeat
- 1. verb
1)
the army that defeated the rebels
Syn:beat, conquer, win against, triumph over, get the better of, vanquish; rout, trounce, overcome, overpower, crush, subdue; informal lick, thrash, whip, wipe the floor with, make mincemeat of, clobber, slaughter, demolish, cream, skunk, nose out2)these complex plans defeat their purpose
Syn:thwart, frustrate, foil, ruin, scotch, debar, derail; obstruct, impede, hinder, hamper; informal put the kibosh on, stymie, scuttle3)the motion was defeated
Syn:reject, overthrow, throw out, dismiss, outvote, turn down; informal give the thumbs down4)how to make it work defeats me
Syn:baffle, perplex, bewilder, mystify, bemuse, confuse, confound, throw; informal beat, flummox, faze, stump2. noun1)a crippling defeat
Syn:loss, conquest, vanquishment; rout, trouncing; downfall; informal thrashing, hiding, drubbing, licking, pasting, massacre, slaughterAnt:victory2)the defeat of his plans
Syn:failure, downfall, collapse, ruin; rejection, frustration, abortion, miscarriage; undoing, reverseAnt:success
Thesaurus of popular words. 2014.