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Downfall vs Defeat - What's the difference?

downfall | defeat |

In lang=en terms the difference between downfall and defeat

is that downfall is to fall down; deteriorate; decline while defeat is to reduce, to nothing, the strength of.

As nouns the difference between downfall and defeat

is that downfall is a precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth while defeat is the act of defeating or being defeated.

As verbs the difference between downfall and defeat

is that downfall is to fall down; deteriorate; decline while defeat is to overcome in battle or contest.

downfall

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.
    • Many economic and political reasons led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 13 , author=Alistair Magowan , title=Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=The Black Cats contributed to their own downfall for the only goal when Titus Bramble, making his first appearance since Boxing Day, and Michael Turner, let Phil Jones' cross bounce across the six-yard box as Rooney tucked in at the back post.}}
  • The cause of such a fall; a critical blow or error.
  • *
    • It is the downfall of evil, that it never sees far enough ahead.
  • An act of falling down.
  • * (Thomas Hardy), A Laodicean

    • Synonyms

    * (precipitous decline in fortune) fall * (death or rapid deterioration) doom

    Derived terms

    *

    Verb

  • To fall down; deteriorate; decline.
  • * 1977 , Mina P. Shaughnessy, Errors and expectations: a guide for the teacher of basic writing :
    • [...] wants to make civilization his subject, he will have a hard time proceeding with the sentence unless collapse is in his active vocabulary, for he cannot say "our civilization will downfall " or "fall down."
  • * 1998 , Peter Vink, Ernst A. P. Koningsveld, Steven Dhondt, Human factors in organizational design and management-VI :
    • Common belief has been that in the future the number of middle managers will downfall due to empowerment and team-building.
  • * 1998 , Lithuanian physics journal:
    • It should be noted that the magnitude of satellites decreases when tuning out of degeneracy, and in the wavelength range of 1.2-1.3 pm it downfalls to the value of 10-15% of the main spike magnitude.
  • * 2008 , Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra :
    • [...] As goodly air as ever From lunar orb downfell — Be it by hazard, Or supervened it by arrogancy?

    Derived terms

    * down-fallen, downfallen

    Anagrams

    *

    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.}}