defied; defying
1
: to confront with assured power of resistance : disregard
defy public opinion
in trouble for defying a court order
2
: to resist attempts at : withstand
the paintings defy classification
a decision that defies all logic
3
: to challenge to do something considered impossible : dare
defied us to name a better movie
4
archaic
: to challenge to combat
plural defies
Synonyms
Examples of defy in a Sentence
Verb
She defied her parents and dropped out of school.
The group has continued to defy all efforts to stop them.
Recent Examples on the Web
Outside Editors, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
And Cruise is once again defying death as Ethan Hunt.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024
Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, 8 Jan. 2023
Over the past few years, astronomers have uncovered about a dozen objects in the distant solar system that defy expectations.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2019
See all Example Sentences for defy 
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Verb
In the end, this ski defied all of our expectations to claim the top spot in the 2025 powder ski category.
—Outside Editors, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
And Cruise is once again defying death as Ethan Hunt.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 11 Nov. 2024
Noun
There are also vehicles that kind of defy trailering, at least under normal circumstances, like the old U.S. military Unimog (pictured above), complete with a hydraulic front-end loader.
—Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, 8 Jan. 2023
Over the past few years, astronomers have uncovered about a dozen objects in the distant solar system that defy expectations.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2019
See all Example Sentences for defy
Dictionary Entries Near defy
Cite this Entry
“Defy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defy. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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