defy

di-FY/dɪˈfaɪ/

Formsdefies, defying, defied

5 meanings of defy

Practice

1
verbtransitive
To openly refuse to obey a person, law, or authority.
The protesters defied the curfew and gathered in the square.
Citizens who defy the law risk arrest.
Similardisobey, flout, break, violate, resist
Oppositeobey, follow, observe, respect
2
verbtransitive
To challenge someone to act, or to bravely face a hazard or opposition.
The climbers defied the freezing winds to reach the summit.
I defy anyone to find a better deal in town.
Similarbrave, challenge, dare, face, confront
Note
Here the word has already turned its meaning around. It comes through Old French desfier from Latin dis- 'away' and fidus 'faithful', the root of fidelity and confide, and only in the 14th century did 'be disloyal' become 'challenge'. It often takes a to-phrase. Milton's Samson defies his enemy 'to the trial of mortal fight', and Edith King Hall's driver answers a boast with 'I defy you to', a dare that expects the other to fail.
3
verbtransitive
To fail to match or follow a pattern, set of rules, or expectations.
These strange findings defy any simple explanation.
The building's design defied every rule of traditional architecture.
Similarresist, elude, escape, break, contradict
Oppositefollow, fit
Note
No will is required here. The subject simply fails to behave as a rule or forecast predicts. A stone atom can 'defy gravity', and an athlete may 'defy the odds'. Both are settled pairings. In each one, the object names the expectation being broken rather than an opponent. That is the quickest way to tell this use from the open disobedience of a person who refuses an order.

Less common meanings

4
verbobsoletetransitive
To renounce or dissolve all bonds of loyalty, faith, or obligation with someone; to reject or disown.
Note
The oldest layer of the word, closest to the 'away from faith' origin traced under the 'challenge' meaning: to defy was to cut loose from a bond. When Middleton's reformed man cries 'I do defy you all' to his vices, he is renouncing them, not daring them. In older drama, read defy this way when the object is something once held dear, like Beaumont and Fletcher's 'constant mistress'.
5
nounobsolete
A challenge, such as one issued to provoke a fight or contest.
The herald carried a defy from one lord to another.
His public defy demanded an answer in arms.
Note
The verb could once stand as a noun for the challenge itself, with the plural defies. That noun has dropped out of use. Outside historical pastiche it is likely to look like a slip rather than a deliberate archaism. It fits best in period scenes, such as a herald carrying a defy from one lord to another.

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Origin

From Old French desfier, from Vulgar Latin *disfidare ('renounce one's faith'), formed from Latin dis- ('away') and fidus ('faithful'). In the 14th century its meaning shifted from 'be disloyal' to 'challenge'; compare confide, fidelity, and faith.