English · Word Candidate

defeat

/dɪˈfiːt/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: defeats · defeating · defeated

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To overcome in battle or contest.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

chiến thắng trong trận chiến hoặc cuộc thi

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To reduce, to nothing, the strength of.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

giảm xuống không, sức mạnh của

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

He finds himself naturally to dread a superior Being that can defeat all his designs, and disappoint all his hopes.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

The act or instance of being defeated, of being overcome or vanquished; a loss.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

hành động hoặc trường hợp bị đánh bại, bị vượt qua hoặc bị chinh phục, thất bại

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

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

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

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

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

hành động hoặc trường hợp đánh bại, vượt qua, chinh phục

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

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

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “defeat” mean?

To overcome in battle or contest.

Is “defeat” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.