defy
[verb]
Synonyms: resist, brave, confront, disregard, flout, scorn, slight, spurn

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Antonyms: recoil
Contrasted words: blench, flinch, quail, shrink
Related Idioms: fling (or throw) down the gauntlet, hurl defiance at
Related Words: deride, mock, ridicule, gibe, flout, scorn, scout, spurn, disregard, ignore

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English Thesaurus: disobey, break a law/rule, defy, flout, violate, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

de‧fy /dɪˈfaɪ/ verb (past tense and past participle defied, present participle defying, third person singular defies) [transitive]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: defier, from Latin fidere 'to trust']

1. to refuse to obey a law or rule, or refuse to do what someone in authority tells you to do ⇒ defiance:
people who openly defy the law

2. defy description/analysis/belief etc to be almost impossible to describe or understand:
The beauty of the scene defies description.

3. defy logic/the odds etc to not happen according to the principles you would expect:
a 16-week premature baby who defied the odds and survived

4. I defy somebody to do something spoken formal used when you ask someone to do something that you think is impossible:
I defy anyone to prove otherwise.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

defy
verb
ADV. openly openly defying the authorities
VERB + DEFY be prepared to, be ready to Campaigners have said that they are prepared to defy the law in order to achieve their aims.
continue to

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

disobey to not obey a person, order, rule, or law:
In the army, it is a crime to disobey a superior officer.
He had disobeyed the school rules.
break a law/rule to not obey a law or rule:
Anyone who breaks the law must expect to be punished.
defy formal to deliberately refuse to obey a rule or law, or what someone in authority tells you to do:
The police arrested the youth for defying a court order.
flout /flaʊt/ formal to deliberately disobey a rule or law in a very public way:
Timber companies are continuing to flout environmental laws.
violate formal to disobey a law, or do something that is against an agreement or principle:
Both countries have accused each other of violating the treaty.
Technically he had violated the law.
contravene formal to be against a law, rule, or agreement, or to do something that is against a law, rule, or agreement:
The British government’s actions contravened the European Convention on Human Rights.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲