defy

Universal Words verb (defies, defying, defied, defied) [VN] 1 to refuse to obey or show respect for sb in authority, a law, a rule, etc: I wouldn't have dared to defy my teachers. * Hundreds of people today defied the ban on political gatherings. 2 ~ belief, explanation, description, etc. to be impossible or almost impossible to believe, explain, describe, etc: a political move that defies explanation * The beauty of the scene defies description. 3 to successfully resist sb/sth to a very unusual degree: The baby boy defied all the odds and survived (= stayed alive when it seemed certain that he would die). ______________________________ WORDFAMILY defy v. defiance n. defiant adj. ______________________________