defy

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• /dɪˈfaɪ/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -aɪ
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• CMU ARPABET: D IH0 F AY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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.

83 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Spanish: desafío — challenge
• Bulgarian: предизвиквам (predizvikvam) — to challenge (someone)
• Czech: vyzývat — to challenge (someone)
• Czech: vyzvat — to challenge (someone)
• Danish: trodse — to challenge (someone)
• Esperanto: defii — to challenge (someone)
• German: herausfordern — to challenge (someone)
• German: die Stirn bieten — to challenge (someone)
• German: entgegentreten — to challenge (someone)
• Irish: tabhair dúshlán — to challenge (someone)
• Italian: sfidare — to challenge (someone)
• Māori: whakatōrea — to challenge (someone)
• Māori: wananga — to challenge (someone)
• Norwegian Bokmål: utfordre — to challenge (someone)
• Norwegian Bokmål: uteske — to challenge (someone)
• Portuguese: desafiar — to challenge (someone)
• Spanish: desafiar — to challenge (someone)
• Thai: ท้าทาย (táa-taai) — to challenge (someone)
• Thai: ต่อต้าน (dtɔ̀ɔ-dtâan) — to challenge (someone)
• Turkish: meydan okumak — to challenge (someone)
• Bulgarian: предизвиквам (predizvikvam) — to provoke to combat or strife
• Czech: vyzvat — to provoke to combat or strife
• Dutch: uitdagen — to provoke to combat or strife
• Dutch: het hoofd bieden — to provoke to combat or strife
• Finnish: haastaa — to provoke to combat or strife
• Finnish: uhmata — to provoke to combat or strife
• French: défier — to provoke to combat or strife
• German: herausfordern — to provoke to combat or strife
• Italian: sfidare — to provoke to combat or strife
• Central Kurdish: بەربەکانی کردن (berbekanî kirdin) — to provoke to combat or strife
• Central Kurdish: بەربەرەکانێ کردن (berberekanê kirdin) — to provoke to combat or strife
• Malagasy: mandrangitra — to provoke to combat or strife
• Māori: whakatumatuma — to provoke to combat or strife
• Norwegian Bokmål: utfordre — to provoke to combat or strife
• Portuguese: desafiar — to provoke to combat or strife
• Romanian: sfida — to provoke to combat or strife
• Russian: броса́ть вы́зов (brosátʹ výzov) — to provoke to combat or strife
• Spanish: desafiar — to provoke to combat or strife
• Bulgarian: опълчвам се (opǎlčvam se) — to refuse to obey
• Bulgarian: опълча се (opǎlča se) — to refuse to obey
• Czech: vzdorovat — to refuse to obey
• Czech: vzepřít se — to refuse to obey
• Danish: trodse — to refuse to obey
• French: désobéir à — to refuse to obey
• German: trotzen — to refuse to obey
• German: widersetzen — to refuse to obey
• German: querstellen — to refuse to obey
• Malagasy: mandà — to refuse to obey
• Māori: takahi — to refuse to obey
• Norwegian Bokmål: motsi — to refuse to obey
• Norwegian Bokmål: trosse — to refuse to obey
• Portuguese: desobedecer — to refuse to obey
• Swedish: trotsa — to refuse to obey
• Thai: ขัดขืน (kàt-kʉ̌ʉn) — to refuse to obey
• Thai: ขัด (kàt) — to refuse to obey
• German: widersetzen — to not conform to or follow a pattern, set of rules or expectations
• Norwegian Bokmål: utfordre — to not conform to or follow a pattern, set of rules or expectations
• Norwegian Bokmål: trosse — to not conform to or follow a pattern, set of rules or expectations
• Bulgarian: игнорирам (ignoriram) — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Bulgarian: пренебрегвам (prenebregvam) — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Bulgarian: отричам (otričam) — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Bulgarian: отрека (otreka) — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Chinese Mandarin: 抗拒 (kàngjù) — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Czech: vzdát se — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Czech: zřeknout se — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Danish: trodse — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Danish: lade hånt om — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Dutch: afzweren — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• German: lossagen — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• German: abschwören — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Italian: abiurare — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Central Kurdish: عاسی بوون ('asî bûn) — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Central Kurdish: لە قسەدەرچوون (le qsederçûn) — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Norwegian Bokmål: avsverge — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Norwegian Bokmål: avvise — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Persian: سرپیچی — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Persian: نافرمانی — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Persian: سر باز زدن — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Portuguese: renunciar — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Russian: пренебрега́ть (prenebregátʹ) — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Russian: попира́ть (popirátʹ) — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Spanish: desafiar — to renounce or dissolve all bonds
• Thai: ต่อต้าน (dtɔ̀ɔ-dtâan) — to renounce or dissolve all bonds