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

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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

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

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

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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 The canal system that carries it from western Arizona is a gravity-defying product of 1960s optimism and more than $4 billion in building costs. — Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026 Bill Belichick and North Carolina opened their 2026 season with an upset of TCU, defying a 9 1/2-point spread and a preseason of low expectations to win 15-10 on Saturday in Ireland. — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026 In recent months, Israeli settlers have repeatedly besieged the village of Qusra, defying orders from the authorities to leave the area and trying to force Palestinian families, some of whom are also American citizens, out. — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 Florida’s Republican gubernatorial ticket is defying historic trends for a political party traditionally known for elevating white men to leadership positions — even as the GOP remains cautious about drawing attention to the shift. — Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026 Jutes For genre-defying rock-’n’-roll musician Jutes, the proof is in the pudding. — Jonathan Borge, InStyle, 27 Aug. 2026 That last one sold more than 20 million copies when Whitney Houston recorded it for the 1992 film The Bodyguard, further enhancing Parton’s image as an influential, genre-defying artist. — Stephen L. Betts, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026 Khan’s lawyers and family have also accused the government of defying a court order that required him to be examined at the private Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 That's obviously a significant amount of money, which helped lead to the reality-defying outrage. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defying
  1. disobeying
  2. daring
  3. confronting
  4. resisting
  5. ignoring
  6. challenging
  7. facing
  8. opposing
Verb
  • The violations are disobeying orders and conduct unbecoming an officer.
    — Charlie D'Agata, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Santana-Mateo was booked on charges of breach of peace, engaging police in a pursuit, disobeying the direction of officer, reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to drive right, failure to obey a traffic control signal and driving the wrong way on a one way.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
Definition of disobeying
Verb
  • Former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons told Gossard and Ament about a guy living in San Diego named Eddie Vedder, who had recently made an impression on Irons and his friends, Flea among them, with his daring antics on a camping trip.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Kimmel also just launched an unconventional — if not daring — Emmy campaign of his own.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of daring
Verb
  • Blanche is also confronting growing distrust of the Justice Department among judges, who in multiple cases have accused government lawyers of withholding information or misleading courts.
    — Alanna Durkin Richer, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Trump may not be interested in confronting Xi, after spending so much of his first year in office in a trade war with China.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of confronting
Verb
  • Stanley is accused of blocking Rajabi’s car with his body, punching Rajabi’s window and resisting arrest.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
  • While half of Gen-Z use AI weekly, 48% of young working people now believe the risks of AI outweigh the benefits, and 44% of Gen-Z workers (subscription required) surveyed in one report admit to actively resisting their companies' AI efforts.
    — Michael Chavira, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of resisting
Verb
  • The market isn't ignoring all this goodness at the moment, given Dell's rally is still respectable.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • All while ignoring the many examples of other big schools, like the Florida Gators, that have struggled to fill seats for noon games in August.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of ignoring
Verb
  • Walking in the Footsteps of the Haiku Master Walk Japan offers a range of walks and has been leading small groups since 1992, on trips that are deeply cultural and, to varying degrees, challenging.
    — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Trump is also challenging his conviction through the state court appellate process, which is pending.
    — Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of challenging
Verb
  • Chancellor Julio Frenk announced the move Monday afternoon in an email to the UCLA community, framing the change around the financial challenges facing an athletic department trying to adapt to a rapidly changing college sports landscape.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • From a retail perspective, Bryan Gildenberg, managing director of Retail Cities, pointed to the changing competitive landscape facing Shein.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of facing
Verb
  • Hahn said that the opposing viewpoints could have been more thoroughly debated, had the project been subject to CEQA review.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The majority of Paxton’s rally focused on religion, cutting costs of living and opposing Democratic nominee James Talarico.
    — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of opposing

Browse Nearby Words

defy
defying
dégagé
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Cite this Entry

“Defying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defying. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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