Use defy when refusal is open and deliberate, often in the face of authority or strong pressure. It is stronger than merely disagreeing.
Use defy when refusal is open and deliberate, often in the face of authority or strong pressure. It is stronger than merely disagreeing.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| She defied to the court order. | She defied the court order. |
| He defys the ban openly. | He defies the ban openly. |
| They denied the curfew and stayed outside. | They defied the curfew and stayed outside. |
Use defy with forces, limits, predictions, or the odds when something resists their expected effect. The construction stresses an exceptional outcome, not simple opposition.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The treatment defied to every prediction. | The treatment defied every prediction. |
| She defied odds and recovered fully. | She defied the odds and recovered fully. |
| The team defied its fans by winning the final. | The team defied expectations by winning the final. |
Use defy before nouns such as description, explanation, or belief. This pattern says that ordinary words or ideas cannot adequately capture something.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The scene defies the description. | The scene defies description. |
| Her decision defies to explain. | Her decision defies explanation. |
| The result defies believable. | The result defies belief. |
Use defy with a person followed by a to-infinitive, as in I defy anyone to prove it. The phrasing often emphasizes confidence that the challenge cannot be met.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| I defy to find a better view. | I defy anyone to find a better view. |
| She defied him solve the puzzle. | She defied him to solve the puzzle. |
| I defy that you prove it. | I defy you to prove it. |
Use defy with a direct object. Context distinguishes deliberate disobedience, exceptional resistance, expressions such as defy belief, and the pattern defy someone to do something.
She defied to the order wrongly adds to. Use a direct object, and change y to i in defies and defied.
From Middle English defien, borrowed from Anglo-French defier or desfier, originally carrying the ideas of breaking faith and issuing a challenge.
What does defy mean?
To defy can mean to disobey openly, withstand a force or expectation, elude explanation, or challenge someone to do something difficult.
What does defy the odds mean?
To defy the odds is to succeed or survive when the expected outcome was failure.
What does defy description mean?
If something defies description, it is so unusual or extreme that words cannot adequately express it.
How is defy used with a person?
The pattern defy someone to do something presents a challenge that the speaker believes will be very hard or impossible to meet.
What are the forms of defy?
The third-person form is defies, the past and past participle are defied, and the present participle is defying.
Is defy a noun?
Current general use treats defy as a verb. The related modern noun is defiance, although historical dictionaries record an obsolete noun defy.
What are synonyms for defy?
Depending on the sense, synonyms include disobey, resist, withstand, challenge, and dare.
How is defy pronounced?
Defy is pronounced /dɪˈfaɪ/.