What does defeated mean?
Defeated is the past tense and past participle of the verb "defeat," meaning to win a victory over someone or something in a battle, contest, election, or other struggle. It also functions as an adjective describing that which has been beaten: a defeated army, a defeated proposal, a defeated candidate. Beyond the plain fact of losing, the word carries a powerful emotional charge when applied to people or their spirits — a defeated expression or a defeated tone suggests exhaustion, resignation, and loss of hope rather than a single setback. English pairs it naturally with verbs such as feel, look, sound, and seem, as well as with nouns like team, army, bill, and challenger. Its opposite is captured not only by victorious but by the striking derivative undefeated, which celebrates the absence of ever having been beaten. Derived terms such as defeatism and defeatist extend its reach into attitudes and outlooks, making defeated central to how English talks about winning, losing, and giving up.
Past tense and past participle of "defeat": overcame or beat someone or something in a battle, contest, or struggle.
"The incumbent was defeated after two decades in office."
Having been beaten; also, showing the dejection or hopelessness of one who has lost.
"He slumped into the chair with a defeated look on his face."
Every "undefeated" record exists only because somewhere along the way, someone else was defeated.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of defeated
Defeated derives ultimately from the Latin verb deficere, formed from de- (indicating reversal or undoing) plus facere, meaning "to do or make"; the sense developed through Vulgar Latin and Old French desfait, meaning undone or destroyed, before entering Middle English as "defeaten" in the sense of destroying or undoing something. Over time the meaning narrowed to overcoming an opponent in conflict or competition. The same prolific Latin root facere gives English many other words, including deficit, efficient, manufacture, and fiction, all built on the idea of doing or making.
Related word forms
How defeated is actually used
As an adjective, "defeated" can be either purely factual ("the defeated team") or strongly emotional ("a defeated sigh"), where it implies resignation rather than merely loss. The participial adjective is fully established and appears freely before nouns and after linking verbs like "feel" or "look."
Easily confused with defeated
"Defeated" means having actually lost or been beaten, while a "defeatist" is someone who expects or accepts failure before any contest has even occurred.