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Defeat vs Failure - What's the difference?

defeat | failure |

As nouns the difference between defeat and failure

is that defeat is the act of defeating or being defeated while failure is state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.

As a verb defeat

is to overcome in battle or contest.

defeat

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To overcome in battle or contest.
    • Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
  • To reduce, to nothing, the strength of.
  • * Tillotson
    • He finds himself naturally to dread a superior Being that can defeat all his designs, and disappoint all his hopes.
  • * A. W. Ward
    • In one instance he defeated his own purpose.
  • To nullify
  • * Hallam
    • The escheators defeated the right heir of his succession.

    Synonyms

    (To overcome in contest) * beat * conquer * overthrow * rout * vanquish

    Related terms

    * defeasance * defeasible * defeater * defeatism * defeatist * defeature

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of defeating or being defeated.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 13 , author=Alistair Magowan , title=Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Two defeats in five games coming into this contest, and a draw with Everton, ultimately cost Sir Alex Ferguson's side in what became the most extraordinary finale to the league championship since Arsenal beat Liverpool at Anfield in 1989.}}

    failure

    English

    (wikipedia failure)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=May 5, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC Sport
    • , title= Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool , passage=For Liverpool, their season will now be regarded as a relative disappointment after failure to add the FA Cup to the Carling Cup and not mounting a challenge to reach the Champions League places.}}
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=April 23, author=Angelique Chrisafis, work=the Guardian
    • , title= François Hollande on top but far right scores record result in French election , passage=Sarkozy's total will be seen as a personal failure . It is the first time an outgoing president has failed to win a first-round vote in the past 50 years and makes it harder for Sarkozy to regain momentum.}}
  • An object, person or endeavour in a state of failure or incapable of success.
  • Termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function, breakdown.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-28, author=(Joris Luyendijk)
    • , volume=189, issue=3, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Our banks are out of control , passage=Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […].  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. When a series of bank failures made this impossible, there was widespread anger, leading to the public humiliation of symbolic figures.}}

    Related terms

    * fail

    Synonyms

    * (person incapable of success) loser

    Antonyms

    * (state or condition) success, triumph