Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have defamed me!" "The article in the paper sullied my reputation"
(n.) A failing or failure; omission of that which ought to be done; neglect to do what duty or law requires; as, this evil has happened through the governor's default.
(n.) Fault; offense; ill deed; wrong act; failure in virtue or wisdom.
(n.) A neglect of, or failure to take, some step necessary to secure the benefit of law, as a failure to appear in court at a day assigned, especially of the defendant in a suit when called to make answer; also of jurors, witnesses, etc.
(v. i.) To fail in duty; to offend.
(v. i.) To fail in fulfilling a contract, agreement, or duty.
(v. i.) To fail to appear in court; to let a case go by default.
(v. t.) To fail to perform or pay; to be guilty of neglect of; to omit; as, to default a dividend.
(v. t.) To call a defendant or other party whose duty it is to be present in court, and make entry of his default, if he fails to appear; to enter a default against.
An unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest; "it was a narrow defeat"; "the army's only defeat"; "they suffered a convincing licking"
The feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals
Win a victory over; "You must overcome all difficulties"; "defeat your enemies"; "He overcame his shyness"; "He overcame his infirmity"; "Her anger got the better of her and she blew up"
Thwart the passage of; "kill a motion"; "he shot down the student's proposal"
Desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army; "If soldiers deserted Hitler's army, they were shot"
A mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body); "a facial blemish"
A failing or deficiency; "that interpretation is an unfortunate defect of our lack of information"
An imperfection in a bodily system; "visual defects"; "this device permits detection of defects in the lungs"
An imperfection in an object or machine; "a flaw caused the crystal to shatter"; "if there are any defects you should send it back to the manufacturer"
(n.) The act of defending, or the state of being defended; protection, as from violence or danger.
(n.) That which defends or protects; anything employed to oppose attack, ward off violence or danger, or maintain security; a guard; a protection.
(n.) Protecting plea; vindication; justification.
(n.) The defendant's answer or plea; an opposing or denial of the truth or validity of the plaintiff's or prosecutor's case; the method of proceeding adopted by the defendant to protect himself against the plaintiff's action.
(n.) Act or skill in making defense; defensive plan or policy; practice in self defense, as in fencing, boxing, etc.
Spot, stain, or pollute; "The townspeople defiled the river by emptying raw sewage into it"
Make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically; "The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air"; "Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man"
Place under suspicion or cast doubt upon; "sully someone's reputation"