Defeat
Defeat verb - To achieve a victory over.
Usage example: they defeated their archrivals easily and moved into the next round of the play-offs
Fail
Fail verb - To stop functioning.
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- Batman Gambit: After Alan's efforts to defeat the bill in committee fail, he changes tactics.
Source: Theatre / Both Your Houses -
And should it fail to defeat the enemy, well... Determinator: Griff's Betrayal resulted in the Black Suit Pirates being attacked by Admiral Kizaru.
- Old Ones create Orkz and Jokaero to defeat the Enslavers, but fail and are driven to extinction.
Cite this Source
Fail and Defeat. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/defeat/fail
Defeat & Fail. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/defeat/fail>.
Fail or Defeat. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/defeat/fail.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "defeat" and "fail" have occurred on timeline