[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/defeat.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / defeat

[← D](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/D/)

# defeat

«defeat» in Mova's school dictionary: **to win against someone in a game, fight, war or vote: "we…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (defeat, defeats, defeated, defeating); noun (a defeat, defeats; defeat, uncountable)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To defeat means to win against someone in a game, fight, war or vote: "we defeated the visiting team". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#m1)

2) (noun) A defeat is a loss, the failure to win: "a 3–0 defeat". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#m2)

3) To defeat something can mean to stop it from working or succeeding: "defeating the purpose". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#m3)

4) To be defeated by a problem means to fail to solve it: "the last question defeated me". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#m4)

5) To admit defeat means to give up. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In sport reports and history, defeat tells who lost a match or battle. In maths, a team's record counts wins, draws and defeats (losses); points tables use them. In stories, the hero finally defeats the villain. Phrases: suffer a defeat, admit defeat, a crushing defeat, defeat the purpose, a narrow defeat.

### examples

- Our team defeated the champions 2–1. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#x1)
- It was their first defeat of the season. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#x2)
- The knight defeated the dragon. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#x3)
- Won 8, drawn 2, defeats 3: the team played 13 games. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#x4)
- The last puzzle defeated everyone in the class. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#x5)
- I couldn't open the jar, so I admitted defeat. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#x6)
- Leaving the fridge open defeats the purpose of having one. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#x7)
- He made war with all his neighbours, and defeated them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/#x8)

### note

Past: defeated. The opposite of a defeat is a victory or a win. "Defeat" (beat) takes an object: "We defeated them", not "We defeated". Adjective "defeated" also means sad and beaten in spirit.

### In the corpora

- [Blocking is a tool, not a defeat; you don't have to read what hurts you.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/481-blocking-muting-and-walking-away/6/)
- [Babur, a descendant of Timur and of Genghis Khan, founded the Mughal Empire by defeating the Delhi Sultan at Panipat in 1526.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/geography/35-the-mughals-the-ming-and-the-empires-of-asia/7/)
- [Elizabeth I ruled England for 45 years, and in 1588 her navy and stormy weather defeated the Spanish Armada.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/history/25-printing-the-renaissance-and-the-reformation/14/)
- [In the war of 1894–1895 Japan, which had modernised fast, defeated Qing China and took Taiwan.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/history/57-china-the-qing-and-the-opium-wars/20/)
- [Japan occupied Manchuria in 1931 and began full war on China in 1937; millions of Chinese died before Japan's defeat in 1945.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/history/58-china-1911-1949-and-mao/15/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «defeat» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defeat/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.