defy

defy — verb

1. to openly choose not to follow a rule, law, or instruction, showing that you do

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to openly choose not to follow a rule, law, or instruction, showing that you do not accept the authority of the person who gave it.

Example

The teenager defied her parents' curfew by staying out until after midnight.

defy + noun phrase (a rule set by someone in authority)

Ramón defied the company's dress code by wearing jeans to the office every day.

Common collocations
  • defy an order
  • defy authority
  • defy the law
  • defy the rules
  • defy convention
  • openly defy
Synonyms
  • disobey

    more general; 'defy' adds an element of open, deliberate resistance

  • resist

    focuses on opposition to force or pressure, not necessarily authority

  • challenge

    suggests questioning authority directly, not just refusing to follow

Antonyms
  • obey

    to follow a rule, law, or instruction

  • comply

    to act according to a rule or request

Grammar Patterns

defy + noun phrase (an order, a rule, an authority)

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person or group. The thing being defied is typically an order, rule, law, or someone in a position of authority.

Common Mistakes

He defied to the teacher.
He defied the teacher.
'defy' is a transitive verb and takes a direct object without a preposition.

2. to be so strange or extreme that you cannot believe it or put it into words prop

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to be so strange or extreme that you cannot believe it or put it into words properly.

Example

The beauty of the night sky in the desert defied description — words were not enough.

defy + description (formal pattern: cannot be adequately described)

Kemi's recovery from the rare disease defied all medical predictions.

Common collocations
  • defy belief
  • defy description
  • defy explanation
  • defy imagination
  • defy logic
  • defy understanding
Synonyms
  • elude

    more abstract; suggests something escapes understanding or capture

  • transcend

    suggests going beyond normal limits, often in a positive way

Grammar Patterns

defy + belief / description / explanation / imagination

Usage Note

Common objects are abstract nouns like 'belief', 'description', 'explanation', 'imagination', and 'logic'. This sense is always transitive and nearly always used with an inanimate subject.

Common Mistakes

The story defies to be believed.
The story defies belief.
'defy' in this sense takes a noun phrase as its object, not a to-infinitive.

3. to challenge a person by asking them to try something you believe is too difficu

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to challenge a person by asking them to try something you believe is too difficult for them, in order to test their courage or prove your point.

Example

I defy you to find a better restaurant in this whole neighbourhood.

defy + someone + to-infinitive (challenge pattern)

Tamar defied her brother to jump across the wide stream near their house.

Common collocations
  • defy someone to do something
  • I defy you to…
  • defy anyone to…
Synonyms
  • dare

    more informal and common in everyday speech; 'defy' sounds more formal and dramatic

  • challenge

    more neutral; 'defy' implies greater certainty that the task is impossible

Grammar Patterns

defy + someone + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Almost always used in the pattern 'defy + someone + to-infinitive'. The infinitive describes the action the person is being challenged to do. This sense is often used as a rhetorical device ('I defy you to…').

Common Mistakes

I defy you finding a better price.
I defy you to find a better price.
after 'defy' in this sense, the challenged person must be followed by a to-infinitive, not a gerund.

4. to successfully withstand or survive the effects of something such as time, pres

4.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to successfully withstand or survive the effects of something such as time, pressure, attack, or analysis.

Example

The old stone castle has defied the weather for over five hundred years.

defy + noun phrase (withstand successfully over time)

Her latest novel defies easy classification into any single literary genre.

Common collocations
  • defy time
  • defy age
  • defy the odds
  • defy analysis
  • defy explanation
  • defy the elements
Synonyms
  • withstand

    more direct; 'defy' implies a more impressive or surprising degree of resistance

  • resist

    can suggest active opposition; 'defy' focuses on the successful outcome

Antonyms
  • succumb to

    to give in to pressure or force

  • yield to

    to allow yourself to be affected by something

Grammar Patterns

defy + noun phrase (an attempt, pressure, time, analysis)

Usage Note

Subject is typically an inanimate thing (a building, an idea, a tradition) that has lasted or stayed strong. Frequently appears with adjectives like 'easy' or 'simple' modifying the object ('defies easy explanation').

Common Mistakes

The building defied to collapse.
The building defied the storm and remained standing.
'defy' in this sense needs a noun phrase as object, not a to-infinitive.
Idioms

I defy you/anyone to do something

idiom

You say this to show that you believe something is impossible for someone to do.

I defy anyone to solve this puzzle in under five minutes.

Can you finish the race? I defy you to prove me wrong.

defy — noun

Word family

  • defiance
    nounC1
  • defiant
    adjectiveC1
  • defiantly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Defy', 'disobey', 'resist', 'rebel', and 'challenge' all involve going against someone or something, but they differ in intensity and focus. 'Disobey' is the most direct and neutral — it simply means not following a rule or order (e.g., 'The child disobeyed her mother'). 'Defy' adds a strong element of open, deliberate, and often public refusal — it is not just breaking a rule but doing so with awareness and purpose. 'Resist' focuses on opposing a force or pressure rather than an authority figure (e.g., 'They resisted the new policy'). 'Rebel' implies organized, sustained opposition to an established system, often as part of a group movement. 'Challenge' suggests questioning or testing authority rather than simply refusing it — you can challenge an idea without defying it. For example, a student who questions a rule is challenging it, but a student who breaks it is defying it.

defy ↗disobeyresist ↗rebel ↗challenge ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in defiance of
  • a flagrant defy of
  • an act of defy

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Middle English 'defien', borrowed from Old French 'desfier' (modern French 'défier'), which was formed from 'des-' (meaning 'away, apart') and 'fier' (meaning 'to trust'), from Latin 'fidere' (to trust). The original meaning was therefore 'to renounce faith in' or 'to distrust', which evolved into 'to challenge' and eventually 'to openly resist or refuse to obey'.