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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Defeat \De*feat"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Defeated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Defeating}.] [From F. d['e]fait, OF. desfait, p. p. ofe d['e]faire, OF. desfaire, to undo; L. dis- + facere to do. See {Feat}, {Fact}, and cf. {Disfashion}.]
1. To undo; to disfigure; to destroy. [Obs.]
His unkindness may defeat my life. --Shak.
2. To render null and void, as a title; to frustrate, as hope; to deprive, as of an estate.
He finds himself naturally to dread a superior Being that can defeat all his designs, and disappoint all his hopes. --Tillotson.
The escheators . . . defeated the right heir of his succession. --Hallam.
In one instance he defeated his own purpose. --A. W. Ward.
3. To overcome or vanquish, as an army; to check, disperse, or ruin by victory; to overthrow.
4. To resist with success; as, to defeat an assault.
Sharp reasons to defeat the law. --Shak.
Syn: To baffle; disappoint; frustrate.
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
18 Moby Thesaurus words for "defeating": ascendant, baffling, confounding, conquering, disconcerting, dominant, flushed with success, frustrating, in ascendancy, in the ascendant, overcoming, prevailing, successful, triumphal, triumphant, vanquishing, victorious, winning
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |