defeat

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to stop a plan or an idea from being successful.

v. to frustrate or prevent the success of a plan, purpose, or expectation.

“A lack of funding might defeat our hopes of building a new community centre.”

“The complexity of the legal requirements threatened to defeat the merger before the final contracts could even be drafted.”

C1 · Advanced Law Technical · Formal

v. to make something legally void or to cancel its effect.

v. to render null and void; to cause a legal claim or action to fail.

“The judge ruled that the new evidence was enough to defeat the plaintiff's claim.”

“The defence sought to defeat the motion by proving that the statute of limitations had already expired before the filing.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. an occasion when you lose a fight or a competition.

n. the state of being overcome or the instance of losing a contest. Countable when referring to specific events; uncountable as a general concept.

“The general refused to admit defeat even when his army was surrounded.”

“After suffering a narrow defeat in the primary election, the candidate thanked her supporters and promised to continue her advocacy work.”