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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of defy
What Are The Candidates Missing? Healthcare spending has ballooned to levels that defy fiscal prudence, but healthcare dollars aren’t going to the people who provide it.
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Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
Under Ladapo, Florida defied guidelines from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2024
Supporters of the measure see this legal challenge as a last-ditch attempt to defy voter intentions.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Damien Leone’s ongoing saga about the sadistic murderer Art the Clown continues to defy expectations by raking in huge box-office receipts on small budgets, with much of the success coming from the series’ reputation for nauseating practical effects.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defy 
Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
Under Ladapo, Florida defied guidelines from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2024
Supporters of the measure see this legal challenge as a last-ditch attempt to defy voter intentions.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Damien Leone’s ongoing saga about the sadistic murderer Art the Clown continues to defy expectations by raking in huge box-office receipts on small budgets, with much of the success coming from the series’ reputation for nauseating practical effects.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defy
Verb
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Suzie is livid that Sunny kept the bird, disobeying Suzie’s orders.Chris Klimek, Vulture, 31 July 2024
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Clips recorded before and after the hearing were aired anyway by various news outlets, disobeying the court's directives, and Gull has denied each media request to record hearings and the trial ever since.Ron Wilkins, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Reading this news story launched journalist Chris Heath’s multiyear mission to uncover the full story behind the prisoners’ daring bid for freedom.Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024
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Memphis, meanwhile, didn’t make a field goal over the final four minutes of regulation, daring the Huskies to get back in the game.Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Shortly after taking office in 2021, Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed to combat provider directory misinformation, so there seemed to be a clear path to confronting ghost networks.Max Blau, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024
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Authorities said Zigler and his friend went to the complex on April 24, possibly to confront one of the residents about a missing Glock firearm that belonged to them.Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Congress, however, resisted, and the proposal never became law.Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
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Of those, 590 were charged with assaulting, resisting, impeding or obstructing law enforcement officers, and 645 have been sentenced to some period of incarceration, the department said.Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Kimberly Clausing, a former Treasury Department official in the Biden administration and a UCLA professor of tax law, said the GOP will probably overestimate the revenue from tariffs and ignore the negative economic impact of the duties.Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
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Speaking with SiriusXM, Gramm lamented that Foreigner’s request to have its original members perform a medley of greatest hits was ignored — instead, younger artists Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato, as well as friend of the group Sammy Hagar, were chosen to perform on their behalf.Devon Ivie, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
Verb
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That can be challenging, especially since this is a relatively fresh conversation.Zara Hanawalt, Parents, 27 Nov. 2024
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By highlighting the work of talented artists from Africa and its diaspora, Prizm Art Fair aims to promote cultural exchange, inspire dialogue, and challenge traditional perspectives on art and society.Erica Wertheim Zohar, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Verb
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After being hit with some of the coldest temperatures on record, Central Texans will now face rainfall throughout the week.Bianca Moreno-Paz, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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Next week, the celebrities and their partners will face each other in the fight for the Mirrorball trophy.Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Across the country there are 28 additional federal court vacancies for which Biden never named a nominee, most of them in red states whose senators probably would have opposed his picks.Tobi Raji The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 23 Nov. 2024
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However, a recent survey conducted by the progressive polling organization Data for Progress reveals that the majority of Americans oppose the idea of deporting all undocumented immigrants.Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Defy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defy. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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