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- pronunciation:
- dih
faI
- features:
- Word Combinations (verb), Word Parts
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
defies, defying, defied |
| definition 1: |
to resist or challenge openly; act against the wishes or decrees of.
She defied her parents by dropping out of college.
- synonyms:
- disobey, flout, resist
- antonyms:
- follow, obey, submit, yield
- similar words:
- break, challenge, confront, disdain, fly in the face of, mock, oppose, protest
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| definition 2: |
to withstand attempts at.
This puzzle defies solution.- similar words:
- resist, survive, withstand
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| definition 3: |
to challenge or dare (someone) to do something very difficult or impossible.
He defied them to disprove his testimony.- synonyms:
- challenge
- similar words:
- dare, egg on, incite, provoke, spur
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| related words: |
fight, flout, rebel |
adverb + (v.)defy
brazenly, openly, publicly, repeatedly, stubbornly, successfully
(v.)defy
+ noun
aging,
assertion,
assumption,
attempt,
authority,
ban,
belief,
boundary,
category,
characterization,
classification,
comprehension,
conformity,
convention,
coup,
court,
curfew,
custom,
deadline,
death,
defeat,
definition,
demand,
description,
edict,
embassy,
expectation,
explanation,
fate,
generalization,
gravity,
identification,
imagination,
injunction,
inspector,
instinct,
interpretation,
label,
law,
limitation,
logic,
measurement,
myth,
nature,
norm,
notion,
odds,
opinion,
order,
physics,
prediction,
pull,
rationality,
regime,
representation,
resolution,
restriction,
rule,
ruling,
sense,
separation,
solution,
stereotype,
subpoena,
summary,
tradition,
translation,
trend,
understanding,
warning,
will,
wisdom,
wish
[See all][See only the most frequent]
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The word defy
contains the following part:
de-
Latin
prefix
that means from; away from; down from; reverse, negate.
  Example words:
biodegradable, debase, debate, decay, deceive, deception, decide, decision, decline, decode, decriminalize, deduct, defer, defoliant, deform, defy, degrade, dehydrate, deject, delete, demagnetize, demerit, demoralize, demote, depend, deplete, deport, depose, deprive, descend, describe, description, desegregate, design, designate, despicable, despise, detach, detect, detract, devolve, indefeasible, independence, indescribable, indestructible
- synonyms:
- dis-, un-
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