DEFY

v. 1 challenge, dare, face, confront, brave, stand up to, flout, brazen out, thumb one's nose at, Colloq Brit cock a snook at The defendant defied the prosecutor to prove the allegations 2 frustrate, thwart, baffle, resist, withstand, repel, disobey, repulse Her feats of legerdemain defy the imagination Copeley has invented a device that defies the law of gravity.