defy
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de·fy
(dĭ-fī′)tr.v. de·fied, de·fy·ing, de·fies
1.
a. To oppose or resist with boldness and assurance: defied the blockade by sailing straight through it.
b. To refuse to submit to or cooperate with: defied the court order by leaving the country.
2. To be beyond the application or scope of; be contrary or resistant to: an act that defies explanation; a problem that defies any conventional approach.
3. To challenge or dare (someone) to do something: She defied her accusers to prove their charges.
[Middle English defien, from Old French desfier, from Vulgar Latin *disfīdāre : Latin dis-, dis- + Latin fīdus, faithful; see bheidh- in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: defy, brave, dare, face
These verbs mean to confront boldly and courageously: a writer who defied the wrath of the authorities; a composer braving all criticism; explorers who dared the unknown; sailors who faced the dangers of the storm squarely.
These verbs mean to confront boldly and courageously: a writer who defied the wrath of the authorities; a composer braving all criticism; explorers who dared the unknown; sailors who faced the dangers of the storm squarely.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
defy
(dɪˈfaɪ)vb (tr) , -fies, -fying or -fied
1. to resist (a powerful person, authority, etc) openly and boldly
2. to elude, esp in a baffling way: his actions defy explanation.
3. formal to challenge or provoke (someone to do something judged to be impossible); dare: I defy you to climb that cliff.
4. (Military) archaic to invite to do battle or combat
[C14: from Old French desfier, from des- de- + fier to trust, from Latin fīdere]
deˈfier n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
de•fy
(v. dɪˈfaɪ; n. also ˈdi faɪ)v. -fied, -fy•ing, v.t.
1. to challenge the power of; resist boldly or openly.
2. to offer effective resistance to: This fort defies attack.
3. to challenge (a person) to do something deemed impossible.
[1250–1300; Middle English < Old French desfier=des- dis-1 + fier to trust < Vulgar Latin *fīdāre, variant of Latin fīdere]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
defy
Past participle: defied
Gerund: defying
| Imperative |
|---|
| defy |
| defy |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | defy - resist or confront with resistance; "The politician defied public opinion"; "The new material withstands even the greatest wear and tear"; "The bridge held" |
| 2. | defy - elude, especially in a baffling way; "This behavior defies explanation" beggar - be beyond the resources of; "This beggars description!" elude, escape - be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by; "What you are seeing in him eludes me" lend oneself, apply - be applicable to; as to an analysis; "This theory lends itself well to our new data" | |
| 3. | defy - challenge; "I dare you!" brazen - face with defiance or impudence; "brazen it out" challenge - issue a challenge to; "Fischer challenged Spassky to a match" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
defy
verb
1. resist, oppose, confront, face, brave, beard, disregard, stand up to, spurn, flout, disobey, hold out against, put up a fight (against), hurl defiance at, contemn This was the first time that I had dared to defy her.
2. challenge, dare, provoke, throw down the gauntlet He defied me to come up with a better idea.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
defy
verb1. To confront boldly and courageously:
2. To refuse or fail to obey:
Idiom: pay no attention to.
3. To call on another to do something requiring boldness:
Idiom: throw down the gauntlet.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَتَحَدّىيُقاوِم، يَتَحَدّى
vyzvatvzdorovatvzpírat se
trodseudfordre
skora á, ögrastorka, bjóîa byrginn
ignoruotiskatinti
ignorētizaicinātnepakļauties
upreti se
karşı gelmekmeydan okuma
defy
[dɪˈfaɪ] VT2. (= refuse to obey) [+ person] → desobedecer, enfrentarse a; [+ order] → contravenir
3. (= fly in the face of) it defies definition → se escapa a toda definición
it defies description → resulta imposible describirlo, es indescriptible
to defy gravity → desafiar la ley de la gravedad
people defied the bad weather to get away for Easter → a pesar del mal tiempo, la gente salió de vacaciones durante la Semana Santa
to defy death (= face without fear) → desafiar a la muerte; (= narrowly escape) → escapar de una muerte segura
it defies description → resulta imposible describirlo, es indescriptible
to defy gravity → desafiar la ley de la gravedad
people defied the bad weather to get away for Easter → a pesar del mal tiempo, la gente salió de vacaciones durante la Semana Santa
to defy death (= face without fear) → desafiar a la muerte; (= narrowly escape) → escapar de una muerte segura
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
defy
[dɪˈfaɪ] vt to defy description (= be indescribable) → défier toute description
to defy comprehension (= be incomprehensible) → dépasser l'entendement
to defy comprehension (= be incomprehensible) → dépasser l'entendement
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
defy
vt
(= refuse to submit to, disobey) person → sich widersetzen (+dat); (esp child) → trotzen (+dat); orders, law, death, danger → verachten, trotzen (+dat)
(fig: = make impossible) → widerstehen (+dat); to defy definition → nicht definiert werden können; to defy description → jeder Beschreibung spotten; that defies belief! → das ist ja unglaublich!; to defy gravity/logic → den Gesetzen der Schwerkraft/Logik widersprechen; to defy the odds to do something → etw entgegen allen Erwartungen tun; she defies her age or the years and wears the latest fashions → sie trägt ihrem Alter zum Trotz die neueste Mode
(= challenge) I defy you to do it/to buy one more cheaply → machen Sie es doch/kaufen Sie doch einen Billigeren, wenn Sie können
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
defy
[dɪˈfaɪ] vta. (person) → rifiutare di obbedire a; (authority, death, danger) → sfidare; (resist, efforts) → resistere a
it defies description → supera ogni descrizione
it defies description → supera ogni descrizione
b. (challenge) to defy sb (to do sth) → sfidare qn (a fare qc)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
defy
(diˈfai) verb1. to dare (someone to act); to challenge. I defy you to try and stop me!
2. to resist boldly or openly. Are you defying my authority?
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.