Synonyms for defeat
- verb
- noun
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Vanquish
vanquish, beat, rout, overthrow, kill informal, ruin, vote down, bring down, vote out, overwhelm, subvert, shoot down, get up in slang
2. Overcome
overcome, subdue, overpower, trounce, conquer, thwart, outwit, frustrate, counteract, reduce, own, surmount, checkmate, thrash, outshine, disappoint, worsen, foil, balk US, baulk UK, contravene, disconcert, worst rare
Noun
1. Frustration — frustration (by prevention of success), stymieing; (law) nullification
Other
loss, downfall, out-run, vanquishment rare
Definitions
- v. 1
To overcome in battle or contest.
Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
- v. 2
To reduce, to nothing, the strength of.
- n. 1
Frustration (by prevention of success), stymieing; (law) nullification.
- n. 2
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.
Related words
- Word family
- defeatable defeasance defeasible defeatist
Choose the right word
To defeat an enemy is to gain an advantage for the time; to vanquish is to win a signal victory; to conquer is to overcome so effectually that the victory is regarded as final.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- overthrow They conspire to overthrow the oppressive government.
- rout The team's defense couldn't prevent the rout.
- vanquish We must vanquish our opponents.
- overcome We helped each other to overcome the difficulties.
- subdue The police used tear gas to subdue the protestors.
By length
- 3 letters
- own1
- 4 letters
- kill1, loss1, beat1, ruin2, foil1, rout1, balk1
- 5 letters
- worst1, baulk
- 6 letters
- reduce2, subdue2, thwart1, thrash1, worsen2, outwit2
- 7 letters
- reverse2, beating2, conquer2, licking2, subvert2, repulse2, trounce1
- 8 letters
- overcome3, downfall2, whipping2, vanquish2, outshine2, surmount2
- 9 letters
- overthrow3, overwhelm3, frustrate2, checkmate2, overpower4
- 10 letters
- disappoint3, counteract3, contravene3, bafflement, disconcert3
- 11 letters
- frustration3
- 12 letters
- discomfiture, vanquishment
- 14 letters
- disappointment4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ruin2 = 2 syllables).