defy

¹de·fy

verb \di-ˈfī, dē-\

de·fiedde·fy·ing

Definition of DEFY

transitive verb

1

archaic : to challenge to combat

2

: to challenge to do something considered impossible : dare

3

: to confront with assured power of resistance : disregard <defy public opinion>

4

: to resist attempts at : withstand <the paintings defy classification>

Examples of DEFY

1. She defied her parents and dropped out of school.
2. The group has continued to defy all efforts to stop them.

Origin of DEFY

Middle English, to renounce faith in, challenge, from Anglo-French desfier, defier, from des- de- + fier to entrust, from Vulgar Latin *fidare, alteration of Latin fidere to trust — more at bide

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to DEFY

Synonyms: disobey, mock, rebel (against)

Antonyms: comply (with), conform (to), follow, mind, obey

Related Words: disoblige; mutiny (against), revolt (against); disregard, ignore, overlook, overpass, pass over, tune out; brush off, dismiss, flout, pooh-pooh (also pooh), reject, scoff (at), scorn, shrug off, wink (at); breach, break, infringe, transgress, violate; buck, combat, contest, dispute, fight, oppose, resist, withstand

Near Antonyms: capitulate (to), concede (to), defer (to), goose-step (to), serve, stoop (to), submit (to), surrender (to), yield (to); cooperate (with); keep, observe; accede (to), acquiesce (to), agree (to), assent (to), oblige; attend, hear, heed, listen (to), mark, note, notice, regard, watch

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Rhymes with DEFY

aby, agley, air-dry, Alai, ally, Altai, anti, apply, assai, awry, aye-aye, Bacchae, Baha'i, banzai, barfly, bee fly, Belgae, belie, bigeye, big lie, black eye, blackfly, black tie, blow-dry, blowby, blowfly, blue-sky, Bo Hai, bone-dry, bonsai, botfly, Brunei, buckeye, bugeye, bye-bye, canaille, catchfly, cat's-eye, Chennai, chess pie, Chiang Mai, cockeye, cockshy, come by, comply, cow pie, crane fly, cross-eye, deadeye, decry, deep-fry, deep-sky, deerfly, Delphi, deny, descry, do by, dong quai, drip-dry, drop by, dry eye, dry fly, elhi, Eli, espy, face fly, firefly, fish-eye, flesh fly, flyby, fly high, forby, freeze-dry, frogeye, fruit fly, gadfly, gallfly, get by, GI, glass eye, go by, good-bye, greenfly, grisaille, gun-shy, Haggai, Hawkeye, heel fly, hereby, hi-fi, hog-tie, horn fly, horsefly, housefly, imply, jai alai, July, Karzai, Kasai, knee-high, lanai, Lanai, lay-by, lay by, Lehigh, let fly, Levi, lie by, magpie, mai tai, mao-tai, Masai, mayfly, medfly, mind's eye, Moirai, mooneye, Mumbai, my eye, nearby, necktie, nilgai, nisi, outbye, outcry, oxeye, pad thai, Panay, panfry, Parcae, piece-dye, pigsty, pinkeye, Po Hai, pop eye, pop fly, potpie, put by, Qinghai, quasi, rabbi, red-eye, rely, reply, rib eye, ride high, rocaille, rough-dry, run dry, Sakai, sand fly, sci-fi, screw eye, semi, Sendai, serai, set by, shanghai, Shanghai, sheep's eye, shoofly, shut-eye, Sinai, sky-high, small-fry, stand by, standby, stir-fry, string tie, supply, swear by, terai, test-fly, thereby, tie-dye, titi, tongue-tie, Transkei, twist tie, two-ply, untie, vat dye, Versailles, walleye, well-nigh, whereby, whitefly, wild rye, wise guy