How to Use defy in a Sentence

defy

1 of 2 verb
Definition of defynext
Synonyms for defynext
  • She defied her parents and dropped out of school.
  • The group has continued to defy all efforts to stop them.
  • Their campaign for the playoffs will be the talk of the town, defying polls and pundits alike!
    — Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
  • But not Meta Platforms, which defied its peers and rose around 1.2%.
    — WSJ, 11 July 2023
  • Thirty years ago — and maybe even before and since — the boys of Carlsbad made a sport of defying death and the wrath of railroad law.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2023
  • For now, Labanc, a 2014 sixth-round draft pick by the Sharks who defied the odds to get this far, is talking like this is the end of his time in San Jose.
    — Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
  • Now, against Cruz, who is seeking his third six-year term at 52, Allred is defying the odds again.
    — Luisita Lopez Torregrosa, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023
  • But the subject defies her initial plan and becomes far more unsettling in the process.
    — Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Washington Post, 22 June 2023
  • The robots have, so far, not gone rogue, but few dare to defy Beyoncé.
    — Scottie Andrew, CNN, 17 May 2023
  • For many, summer fun means thrill rides rule that soar, swirl, and defy gravity.
    — Roxana Saberi, CBS News, 2 July 2023
  • And who even declares that the Fed has officially defied the odds and achieved a soft landing?
    — Bryan Mena, CNN, 6 Aug. 2023
  • To have done it while dealing with the emotions of his mother’s shooting death over the summer defies description.
    — Nathan Baird, cleveland, 17 Sep. 2023
  • Tweens will love to try new moves, impress their friends, and defy gravity, all in one afternoon.
    — Deanna McCormack, Parents, 19 Mar. 2024
  • Bald cypress trees defied nature, standing tall in the open water, anchored by their wide bases.
    — Bob Robinson, Arkansas Online, 19 June 2023
  • But just two weeks ago, their son, Nathaniel Grossman, defied all the odds by celebrating his first birthday.
    — Wendy Grossman Kantor, Peoplemag, 15 Dec. 2023
  • For more than a decade Rousteing has designed with the intention to defy fascist fantasies.
    — Killian Wright-Jackson, Essence, 1 Dec. 2023
  • So far, the U.S. economy has defied fears of a slowdown induced by high interest rates.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Jan. 2024
  • Restaurateur who defied covid rules presses his fight ‘till the end’ That never happened.
    — Teo Armus, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
  • But the city’s twin homelessness and migrant crises defy such neat packaging.
    — Eliza Shapiro, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2023
  • Sci-fi can be a tough genre in some markets, such as parts of Latin America, but Dune 2 could defy this trend based on the performance of the first film and stellar reviews.
    — Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024
  • Cher has been turning back time for decades, defying the march of the calendar pages with an eternally youthful look and sound.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2023
  • The Stroud story has some powerful lessons, most of all to keep our eyes open for the talent who defy conventional metrics.
    — Michael Fitzsimmons, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
  • But Tulare Lake farm barons defy calls to cut groundwater pumping.
    — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2023
  • But the real crisis could come after the Supreme Court issues all three rulings, Fuchs said, if Netanyahu and his government choose to defy them.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN, 27 Sep. 2023
  • For 47 years, the long-running event has defied prejudice, stereotypes, and elitism to provide a snowy sanctuary for othered skiers.
    — Matt Kirouac, Travel + Leisure, 3 Jan. 2024
  • Although the trio sets out to break the curse and complete the film, their efforts soon spin into a surreal and supernatural chain of events that defy even their wildest dreams.
    — Time, 29 June 2023
  • Italy Behold the Wassily B3 Chair, the first successful cantilever chair that defied the four-legged standard.
    — Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 14 Aug. 2023
  • But a race against an incumbent who has defied political gravity before would have been a much tougher fight for the GOP.
    — Bridget Bowman, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2023
  • And although Beyoncé rang in the year with her new signature, platinum blonde moment, hair looks this week, on the other hand, defied trends.
    — India Espy-Jones, Essence, 5 Jan. 2024
  • Michael Jordan defying gravity toward the hoop and draining constant clutch shots in the playoffs.
    — Will Leitch, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2023
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defy

2 of 2 noun
  • The contributors among those charged in the riot defy that.
    — Rachel Axon, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2021
  • The elms of Castine defy capture by an amateur like me.
    — Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2022
  • The potential deals would boost the economy and defy predictions that remote work will kill offices.
    — Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Nov. 2021
  • Nostalgia for that hug makes many tango dancers, or tangueros, defy restrictions to dance in outdoor spaces.
    — Time, 15 June 2021
  • But like crab and oysters, artichokes rest in a sort of alien realm where their distinct flavor and form defy neat categorization.
    — Tribune News Service, cleveland, 26 Apr. 2021
  • In fact, given Black and Latino students’ persistent low achievement in math — and the techniques used in districts that have higher success rates — aspects of the change defy logic.
    — oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2022
  • Middle powers like Turkey, Israel and Iran defy Brussels with little fear.
    — Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 28 Sep. 2020
  • This feels like a real American family story with characters who have rough edges and defy stereotypes.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2022
  • Characters and situations show up that defy explanation and add layers to the movie that don’t really go anywhere.
    — Weldon B. Johnson, The Arizona Republic, 29 July 2021
  • Fragmentary glimpses from nearby blocks defy expectations, whipsawed slivers amid the stodgy norm.
    — John King, SFChronicle.com, 12 July 2020
  • The reasons people are unvaccinated defy one easy explanation, but Russell said most are hesitant out of fear, but not staunchly against it.
    — Joe Mahr, chicagotribune.com, 20 Aug. 2021
  • Finding characters who push boundaries or defy expectations is something Pedretti says she is drawn to and integral to the mission behind her work.
    — NBC News, 29 Oct. 2020
  • Viewers hear stories of escape that defy explanation, and Harry Houdini pulls off escape acts.
    — Nina Zafar, Washington Post, 11 July 2020
  • Throughout August, its theater, dance, cabaret, acrobatic and comic artists (plus performers that to some extent defy classification) can be enjoyed from your computer screen.
    — David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2020
  • Fortunately, some qualities of the Gravity 9 defy experience and form.
    — Adam Chase, Outside Online, 3 Mar. 2020
  • To produce acts that defy expectations, performances must consistently push the boundaries of imagination.
    — Karl Moore, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2022
  • What’s happening right now, as recalcitrant witnesses like Steve Bannon defy subpoenas in a collective effort among Trump allies to sandbag the commission, should be instructive for the Biden administration.
    — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 19 Oct. 2021
  • The contributors among those charged in the riot defy that.
    — Rachel Axon, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2021
  • The elms of Castine defy capture by an amateur like me.
    — Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2022
  • The potential deals would boost the economy and defy predictions that remote work will kill offices.
    — Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Nov. 2021
  • Nostalgia for that hug makes many tango dancers, or tangueros, defy restrictions to dance in outdoor spaces.
    — Time, 15 June 2021
  • But like crab and oysters, artichokes rest in a sort of alien realm where their distinct flavor and form defy neat categorization.
    — Tribune News Service, cleveland, 26 Apr. 2021
  • In fact, given Black and Latino students’ persistent low achievement in math — and the techniques used in districts that have higher success rates — aspects of the change defy logic.
    — oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2022
  • Middle powers like Turkey, Israel and Iran defy Brussels with little fear.
    — Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 28 Sep. 2020
  • This feels like a real American family story with characters who have rough edges and defy stereotypes.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2022
  • Characters and situations show up that defy explanation and add layers to the movie that don’t really go anywhere.
    — Weldon B. Johnson, The Arizona Republic, 29 July 2021
  • Fragmentary glimpses from nearby blocks defy expectations, whipsawed slivers amid the stodgy norm.
    — John King, SFChronicle.com, 12 July 2020
  • The reasons people are unvaccinated defy one easy explanation, but Russell said most are hesitant out of fear, but not staunchly against it.
    — Joe Mahr, chicagotribune.com, 20 Aug. 2021
  • Finding characters who push boundaries or defy expectations is something Pedretti says she is drawn to and integral to the mission behind her work.
    — NBC News, 29 Oct. 2020
  • Viewers hear stories of escape that defy explanation, and Harry Houdini pulls off escape acts.
    — Nina Zafar, Washington Post, 11 July 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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