defying

verb

present participle of defy
1
as in disobeying
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in daring
to invite (someone) to take part in a contest or to perform a feat after missing the target, she defied her boyfriend to do better

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in confronting
to oppose (something hostile or dangerous) with firmness or courage a rescue team willing to defy the raging storm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in resisting
to refuse to give in to a bicyclist who regularly defies illness and infirmity in order to compete in races

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defying This process included buying a physics-defying piece of furniture that without aid of magic could toggle between both a bed and sofa — something called a futon. — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026 In July, Iran sent a commercial plane to carry a Houthi delegation to Khamenei’s funeral in Tehran, defying a Saudi air blockade of Yemen. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026 Every gravity-defying pool that has followed-from those perched on tropical clifftops to the ones suspended in Dubai skyscrapers-owes something to that oceanfront plunge in the South of France. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026 Over an untucked ecru button-up and straight-legged navy trousers, D’Arcy wore a gravity-defying blazer, looking as though they got caught in a gust of wind. — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026 Yet Dodik has consistently tested those limits, openly defying Bosnia’s national government in the capital, Sarajevo, and making moves for Republika Srpska to separate from the country. — Eldar Emric, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Gross domestic product grew over three months ending in June, defying fear of a downturn triggered by the Iran war. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, reliables like The Baffler, Granta, and The Dial continue to hit critical home runs, defying the narrative that says letters are on the outs. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026 The renewal comes as Season 4 of Reacher has amassed 66 million viewers globally in its first 28 days on Prime Video, per Amazon, defying the recent downward streaming viewership trend by surpassing the Season 3 performance. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defying
  1. disobeying
  2. daring
  3. confronting
  4. resisting
  5. ignoring
  6. challenging
  7. facing
  8. opposing
Verb
  • Cops had issued summonses to the driver twice before, once in 2024 for failing to yield to a pedestrian and in 2018 for disobeying a traffic device, officials said.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The violations are disobeying orders and conduct unbecoming an officer.
    — Charlie D'Agata, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of disobeying
Verb
  • Skarsgard, who, like Colman, has made some daring career moves in recent years, became the only man to do this knight-in-shining-wicker justice.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
  • That made The Social Network daring in its nuanced depiction of the enterprise, and the film consequently raised profound questions for audiences to grapple with.
    — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of daring
Verb
  • Matt Passmore, Emily Rose, Gabriel Nagy and Hudson Macready star in the film, which tells the true story of a family confronting addiction and loss while finding its way back to one another.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • These kinds of tradeoffs will keep confronting tech leaders as long as that disparity persists.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of confronting
Verb
  • At the Homo Faber craft festival in Venice this past September, one such work—its mouth opening up like a blooming flower—had onlookers resisting the urge to touch it.
    — Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Ukraine's Eastern European neighbors such as Poland and Romania are resisting a push to allow grain to transit through them — even temporarily — due to concerns about a glut destroying demand for their own crops.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of resisting
Verb
  • Isaac Gonzalez, a traffic safety advocate and founder of Slow Down Sacramento, said roads like Valley Hi Drive were built wide and open, which can lead to drivers ignoring speed limits.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Republicans stripped away key delaying tactics in recent years by ending the filibuster in 2017 and ignoring the Judiciary Committee’s quorum rules in 2020.
    — The Conversation, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • Of course, the contexts stricken by war and state failure are challenging.
    — David Miliband, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Democracy Forward, which is representing the plaintiffs challenging his renovation plans, responded by saying that the course is part of a national park and recreation facility that is meant for everyone to enjoy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of challenging
Verb
  • Building this life is the gargantuan task facing people looking to fix the role of technology in their lives.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • This is a kitchen table, existential economic issue that is facing Arizonans.
    — Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of facing
Verb
  • With opposing defenses likely to devote more attention to Anderson, Kohl emphasized the importance of getting other playmakers involved.
    — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Trump’s post outlining a clear plan for construction complicates a federal court hearing scheduled for Monday in a lawsuit filed by the DC Preservation League and two golfers opposing the construction.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of opposing

Browse Nearby Words

defy
defying
dégagé
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defying. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All