1
as in to disobey
to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of
in those days a woman was brave if she defied fashion and wore white after Labor Day
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to confront
to oppose (something hostile or dangerous) with firmness or courage
a rescue team willing to defy the raging storm
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4
as in to resist
to refuse to give in to
a bicyclist who regularly defies illness and infirmity in order to compete in races
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defy
Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals was once thought to be unbeatable but Ovechkin is set to defy the odds.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Notably, the administration defied Boasberg's court order last month to turn back flights deporting about 250 Venezuelans to El Salvador.
—April Rubin, Axios, 3 Apr. 2025
Utilities Europe’s utility stocks led gains on Thursday, defying a broader market sell-off as investors reacted to Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
—Chloe Taylor,jenni Reid,sam Meredith, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2025
By the time Vought’s nomination came up for a vote, on February 6th, Trump had openly defied spending statutes by issuing an executive order that froze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defy
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Notably, the administration defied Boasberg's court order last month to turn back flights deporting about 250 Venezuelans to El Salvador.
—April Rubin, Axios, 3 Apr. 2025
Utilities Europe’s utility stocks led gains on Thursday, defying a broader market sell-off as investors reacted to Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
—Chloe Taylor,jenni Reid,sam Meredith, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2025
By the time Vought’s nomination came up for a vote, on February 6th, Trump had openly defied spending statutes by issuing an executive order that froze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defy
Verb
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Meanwhile, Ben Warren is also trying to win back Teddy’s confidence after disobeying her orders during the heat wave.—
Laura Bradley,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
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Pike faced a momentous decision: follow orders to retreat, or disobey them to rescue his crew.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Cybertruck is indeed a valiant effort in doing something new, and that’s not what most manufacturers dare to do.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Apr. 2025
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Stacy's husband Jim speculated that the bald eagle wanted to eat their dog — and probably would if Gnocchi dared to venture outside.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This story is not just a story of Iranian women, but a story that is confronting ideas of body image.—
Xian Horn,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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When confronted by intruders, the resident caterpillars dialed up the signal rate by about four times.—
Becky Ferreira,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Vrabel then asked players to resist pulling sweatshirt hoodies over their heads during meetings.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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The most resilient enterprises of tomorrow will not be the ones that resist change—but those that learn, adapt, and lead through it—with data, decisiveness, and humanity.—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And the underlying data from 2024 isn’t something to ignore.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
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That is the inevitable outcome of policies that ignore economic realities.—
Chris Van Gorder,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The judge heard arguments in the case after a federal judge in Massachusetts transferred the 30-year-old's lawsuit challenging her detention to Vermont rather than dismiss it or send it to Louisiana as the U.S. Justice Department wanted.—
Nate Raymond,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
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With the East’s play-in seeding set at No. 7 Orlando Magic, No. 8 Atlanta Hawks, No. 9 Bulls and No. 10 Heat, here’s the challenging path to the playoffs that Miami faces ...—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Social media personality Tate, who along with his brother Tristan faces rape, human trafficking and tax evasion charges in Romania, the U.K. and the U.S. (and even more allegations as recent as March this year), is a pioneer of the manosphere.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
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Chandler is 2-4 with the UFC, but outside his 2022 matchup against a fading Tony Ferguson, the 38-year-old has only faced the elite of the division.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Based on pre- and post-debate data collected from the audience, Sey's stance on opposing trans athletes in women's sports appeared to be the winning argument.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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Elon Musk, Trump’s top campaign donor and White House cost-cutting chief, is opposing Trump’s tariffs increasingly more openly.—
Andres Oppenheimer,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defy. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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