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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defy
Dancer Jessica Rabanzo-Flores, dressed in a brown suit jacket and representing McCullers, approached the stage with a cane before joining company dancers who performed the gravity-defying balancing acts that reflect Malashock’s choreographic style.
—
Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Jabil board defies angry shareholders.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
The storm cut a path directly through the northern Oklahoma city, defying the area’s usual pattern.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026
No deaths have been reported, a fact that local officials say defies the odds.
—Ryan Brennan
april 24, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defy
Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Jabil board defies angry shareholders.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
The storm cut a path directly through the northern Oklahoma city, defying the area’s usual pattern.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026
No deaths have been reported, a fact that local officials say defies the odds.
—Ryan Brennan
april 24, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defy
Verb
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However, all of the city’s fire stations seemingly disobeyed the mayor by lowering their flags.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Trump had to relent on a scheme to prosecute Fed Chair Jerome Powell for disobeying White House commands to cut interest rates.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Billie Eilish transformed herself in a golden-age Hollywood ball gown, and Zoë Kravitz caused a sensation by daring to wear sheer.—
Blanche Marcel,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026
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And what could be more defensive and self-aggrandizing than choosing a weaker person to pick on, to transfer all of one’s anxieties to, and then to harm for daring to comply?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The officer is seen attempting to confront the driver when he gets knocked into the suspect's SUV through an open passenger-side door as the vehicle accelerates a brief distance in reverse.—
Brian Day,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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Then as a tenant left the apartment building Garcia slipped inside before entering Negron’s daughter’s apartment, confronting Negron in the bathroom and shooting her in the forehead, torso, arms and legs.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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With sedge plants, the rhizomes create a tough mat just below ground level that resists foot traffic.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
30 Apr. 2026
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Both homeowners were charged with resisting.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The federal judge in that case ruled that a jury could find that State Farm had acted in bad faith if the plaintiffs' lawyers demonstrated that the company ignored certain kinds of hail damage.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
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In crush, puncture, and saw tests, the battery produced no smoke or flames – a safety profile that's hard to ignore.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 28,
New Atlas,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meeting a partner’s family can be challenging in any circumstance; anxieties about a family member saying something rude or belittling can only compound that.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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The case challenged Louisiana’s congressional map, which included two majority-Black districts out of six in a state where about one-third of the population is Black.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When the 2025 season ended, the Vikings faced a steep salary-cap overage.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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We are faced with a vastly more consequential version of a Catch-22.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Earlier, the Moon in Libra opposes direct Mercury in Aries, so thoughts may move faster than your emotional response, making conversations feel slightly off or rushed.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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Puth isn’t a flashy showman by any means, staying mostly confined to the front of the stage between two opposing keyboards.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defy. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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