defy
v.v. to refuse to obey a person, a rule, or a law. You can also use it to describe something that is so strange or amazing that it is impossible to explain.
v. to openly resist or refuse to obey a person, regulation, or authority; alternatively, to be of such a nature that a particular action or description is rendered impossible. Transitive — requires a direct object.
The young protesters chose to defy the new law.
The small village managed to defy the invading army for months despite having very few weapons or supplies.
The beauty of the mountain range at sunset seemed to defy description, leaving the hikers in a state of silent awe that no photograph could ever truly capture.
From Old French desfier, from Vulgar Latin *disfidare (“renounce one's faith”), from Latin dis- (“away”) + fidus (“faithful”). Meaning shifted in the 14th century from "be disloyal" to "challenge". Contrast confide, fidelity, faith.
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. When used in the sense of 'defy explanation' or 'defy logic', it functions as a way to express that something is beyond human understanding.
They defied to the rulesThey defied the rulesDefy is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'to' before its object.