DEFEATING Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

defeating

verb

present participle of defeat

as in overcoming

to achieve a victory over they defeated their archrivals easily and moved into the next round of the play-offs

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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 defeating DeSoto won the Class 6A Division II state championship last season, defeating Southlake Carroll in the state semifinals. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Aug. 2026 Boise State started the season 1-1, losing 42-21 to Central Michigan before defeating Portland State 33-22 in a pair of nonconference games. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 31 Aug. 2026 The Senate Leadership Fund, a political committee controlled by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, has committed to spending $44 million in Georgia in hopes of defeating Ossoff. — Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Those groups then gave most of the funds to a political committee run by now-Attorney General James Uthmeier aimed at defeating a 2024 ballot amendment that would have legalized marijuana in Florida. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 The Bulldogs put on a scoring clinic, defeating James Madison 6-0. — Meg Linehan, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Dean Chance of Minnesota pitched his second no-hitter of the month, defeating the Indians 2-1. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Day denied that defeating Sununu is his ultimate objective, instead describing his campaign as an experiment in using third-party candidates to force the major parties to keep their promises. — Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026 Vanos was elected two years ago, defeating a more conservative candidate who critics said was tied to Moms for Liberty despite her denials. — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defeating

Verb

Curaçao went unbeaten in the double-elimination tournament before overcoming an early two-run deficit to the team from Henderson, Nevada.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Instead of focusing on adventurous missions like PAW Patrol, Super Monsters emphasizes the more emotional aspects of childhood, like overcoming shyness, being a good friend, and learning from your mistakes.

— Kara Nesvig, Parents, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of overcoming

Verb

But for a novice, relying on AI before mastering the fundamentals creates a technical debt that leads to a lack of depth.

— Jason Corso, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
But what if the biggest output of mastering AI isn't actually a bigger career advantage, but instead the greatest gift is the time saved.

— Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of mastering

Verb

As the graphic below shows, Fernandez-Pardo is comfortable running in-behind down the channels and sending in crosses, as well as beating his defender and cutting balls back for team-mates.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Dell Technologies — Shares of the computer maker jumped almost 9% after beating expectations on both lines.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of beating

Verb

At this late juncture in the season, the instability of the Akira One’s revolving-door crew is taking its toll.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026
According to the memo, Google will begin taking electric service in February 2027 and will ramp up to full capacity by October 2029.

— Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of taking

Verb

Yankees fans might be getting flashbacks of Boone’s defense for Anthony Volpe, who similarly faded into inconsistency after emerging as the apparent heir to the franchise’s shortstop role.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
And with 11 billion tons of freight moved by truck in 2024, the stakes of getting safety right extend far beyond the competition floor.

— Alice Barlow, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of getting

Verb

Abu Dhabi determined the only reliable way to intercept Houthi drones was dispatching its F-16s and Mirage 2000s on round-the-clock patrols.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Copeland and Cage have reigned supreme over the tag team division since then, dispatching The Death Riders and The Dogs in separate matches.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of dispatching

Verb

Dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors handle stopping duties, an important part of controlling a large fat-tire e-bike in traffic or on a downhill section.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
The Chiefs focused their defense on stopping Barkley, and, while he was limited to 57 rushing yards on 25 carries, that opened up things for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who completed 17 of 22 passes.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of stopping

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defeated

defeating

defeatism

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“Defeating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defeating. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of defeating

verb

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