defeat

The word “defeat” means to beat someone in a fight, contest, or competition.

“Defeat” is pronounced dih-FEET (/dɪˈfiːt/ in IPA).

Here is “defeat” used in a sentence: “The underdogs defeated the reigning champions.”

Words with a similar meaning to “defeat” include vanquish, overcome, beat, bring down, convince and chew up.

The opposite of “defeat” — its antonyms — are bite the dust, capitulate, eat someone's dust, forfeit and give up.

Depending on how it is used, “defeat” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “defeat” comes from Middle English. From Middle English defeten, ultimately tied to a root meaning "undone" or "disfigured" — the sense of being ruined or destroyed came before the modern sporting sense.

“Defeat” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Both mean to overcome an opponent, and they are often interchangeable. Defeat is slightly more formal and emphasises the final outcome, common in reports of wars, elections, and major contests. Beat is more casual and conversational. You might beat a friend at chess, but an army defeats its enemy in battle.

As a verb meaning to beat someone, the opposite of defeat is to lose to them or be beaten by them. To defeat is to come out on top; to be defeated is to come out behind. Words like surrender, yield, or succumb also describe the losing side of a contest.

It depends on your side. Defeating an opponent is a victory and reads positively for the winner, suggesting strength and success. But being defeated carries a negative sense of loss or failure. The verb itself is neutral, describing the act of overcoming; the tone comes from whose perspective you take.

You might say, "The champion defeated her challenger in three rounds," or "Our team defeated the league leaders on Saturday." In each case, defeat describes one side overcoming another in a contest or fight, with the defeated party left as the loser.