1
: the act or an instance of defying : challenge
jailed for defiance of a court order
2
: disposition to resist : willingness to contend or fight
dealing with a child's defiance
Phrases
in defiance of
: contrary to : despite
seemingly in defiance of the laws of physics
He returned to the pulpit May 22 in defiance of an order by church leaders banning him from television preaching for one year. Daniel E. Kubiske

Examples of defiance in a Sentence

any defiance of the authoritarian regime would have dire consequences the troubled youth seems to have an ingrained defiance to authority of any sort
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The day after Luigi Mangione was indicted for murder, 200 top American CEOs came together, under heavily armed protection, in a bold statement of defiance of the populist fringes, not frightened away or intimidated for standing up for leadership and American character. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 21 Dec. 2024 The defiance came not from the handful of moderate Republicans who have previously earned the president-elect’s ire. Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024 The photo was on the front page of newspapers around the world and Trump supporters later wore it on T-shirts as a statement of defiance. Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024 Some scenes show the world-beating defiance this empire is built on; others, the gleeful package and sale of gangster authenticity in the ensuing years, the wedge which helped Snoop, Dre, and others like them — Jay-Z, VH1-era T.I. — pivot to television and business conglomerates. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for defiance 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English diffiaunce, defyaunce, borrowed from Anglo-French defiance, difiaunce, from defier, desfier "to renounce, challenge, defy entry 1" + -ance, -aunce -ance

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of defiance was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near defiance

Cite this Entry

“Defiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defiance. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

1
: the act or an instance of defying : challenge
2
: a tendency to resist : contempt of opposition

More from Merriam-Webster on defiance

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