— defeater , n.
/di feet"/ , v.t.
1. to overcome in a contest, election, battle, etc.; prevail over; vanquish: They defeated the enemy. She defeated her brother at tennis.
2. to frustrate; thwart.
3. to eliminate or deprive of something expected: The early returns defeated his hopes of election.
4. Law. to annul.
n.
5. the act of overcoming in a contest: an overwhelming defeat of all opposition.
6. an instance of defeat; setback: He considered his defeat a personal affront.
7. an overthrow or overturning; vanquishment: the defeat of a government.
8. a bringing to naught; frustration: the defeat of all his hopes and dreams.
9. the act or event of being bested; losing: Defeat is not something she abides easily.
10. Archaic. undoing; destruction; ruin.
[ 1325-75; ME defeten (v.) desfait, ptp. of desfaire to undo, destroy disfacere, equiv. to L dis- DIS- 1 + facere to do ]
Syn. 1. overwhelm, overthrow, rout, check. DEFEAT, CONQUER, OVERCOME, SUBDUE imply gaining a victory or control over an opponent. DEFEAT suggests beating or frustrating: to defeat an enemy in battle. CONQUER implies finally gaining control over, usually after a series of efforts or against systematic resistance: to conquer a country, one's inclinations. OVERCOME emphasizes surmounting difficulties in prevailing over an antagonist: to overcome opposition, bad habits. SUBDUE means to conquer so completely that resistance is broken: to subdue a rebellious spirit. 2. foil, baffle, balk. 7. downfall.