defeat

About 16.75 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. verb To overcome in battle or contest.

   Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.

2. verb To reduce, to nothing, the strength of.
3. verb To nullify
4. verb To prevent (something) from being achieved.
5. noun The act or instance of being defeated, of being overcome or vanquished; a loss.

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

6. noun The act or instance of defeating, of overcoming, vanquishing.

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

7. noun Frustration (by prevention of success), stymieing; nullification.
8. noun Destruction, ruin.

Similar words

overcome kill vote down vote out frustration licking vanquish topple fight combating

Often followed by

of the in and at by for was on

Word family

defeatable defeated defeating defeats