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- DictionaryDe·fy/dəˈfī/
verb
- 1. openly resist or refuse to obey: "a woman who defies convention"
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Learn the meaning, synonyms, examples, and history of the verb and noun defy, which means to challenge, resist, or disobey something or someone. Find out how to use defy in a sentence and explore related phrases and entries.
Defy means to refuse to obey or to do something in the usual or expected way. It can also mean to be extreme or very strange and therefore impossible to believe, describe, or explain. See more meanings, synonyms, antonyms, and examples of defy.
Defy means to refuse to obey or to do something in the usual or expected way. It can also mean to be extreme or very strange and therefore impossible to believe, describe, or explain. See more meanings, synonyms, antonyms, and examples of defy.
Defy means to refuse to obey or show respect for somebody or something in authority, a law, a rule, etc. It can also mean to be impossible or almost impossible to believe, explain, describe, etc. See how to use defy in different contexts and idioms.
verb. to resist (a powerful person, authority, etc) openly and boldly. to elude, esp in a baffling way. his actions defy explanation. formal. to challenge or provoke (someone to do something judged to be impossible); dare. I defy you to climb that cliff. archaic. to invite to do battle or combat.
To defy is to openly refuse to do something. You can defy the no-costumes-in-class rule if you wear your fairy wings to school, but just don’t try to defy the laws of gravity unless you can actually fly. If you deliberately break a rule or ignore an order, you defy, or resist, that rule.
Definitions of 'defy' 1. If you defy someone or something that is trying to make you behave in a particular way, you refuse to obey them and behave in that way. [...] 2. If you defy someone to do something, you challenge them to do it when you think that they will be unable to do it or too frightened to do it. [...] 3.
