defy

1 of 2

verb

de·​fy di-ˈfī How to pronounce defy (audio)
dē-
defied; defying

transitive verb

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

defy

2 of 2

noun

plural defies
: challenge, defiance
observers took this to be a form of defyJack Alexander

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
Verb
And the models aren't always right, such as in the 2012 election, when then-President Obama defied the trajectory to defeat his Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024 Throughout the war, Israel has defied the US’ calls for restraint – on the Rafah operation in southern Gaza, and more recently on a ground war in southern Lebanon. Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 26 Oct. 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 

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.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English defien "to renounce, disavow, scorn, challenge to fight," borrowed from Anglo-French defier, desfier, from de-, des- de- + fier "to pledge, trust in, rely on," going back to Vulgar Latin *fīdāre, re-formation of Latin fīdere "to trust (in), have confidence (in)" — more at faith entry 1

Note: The sense history was perhaps "to break faith with" > "to scorn" > "to challenge to a fight," though the latter meaning appears to be the earliest in Old French.

Noun

in part borrowed from Middle French deffy, noun derivative of defier "to challenge, defy entry 1," in part derivative of defy entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of defy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near defy

Cite this Entry

“Defy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defy. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

defy

verb
de·​fy
di-ˈfī
defied; defying
1
: to challenge to do something considered impossible : dare
the magician defied the audience to explain the trick
2
: to refuse boldly to obey or to yield to : disregard
defy public opinion
3
: to resist attempts at : withstand, baffle
a scene that defies description
defier
-ˈfī(-ə)r
noun

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