Defile Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Definition of defile ; a · to corrupt the purity or perfection of : debase ; b · to violate the chastity or virginity of : deflower ; c · to make physically unclean ... Login SignUp Hello, Games&Quizzes Thesaurus WordoftheDay Features BuyingGuide M-WBooks JoinMWU MyWordsMyWords ViewRecents Account LogOut defile verb(1) SaveWord de·​file |\di-ˈfī(-ə)l ,dē-\ defiled;defiling Definitionofdefile (Entry1of3) transitiveverb :tomakeuncleanorimpure:suchas a :tocorruptthepurityorperfectionof:debase thecountrysidedefiledbybillboards b :toviolatethechastityorvirginityof:deflower c :tomakephysicallyuncleanespeciallywithsomethingunpleasantorcontaminating bootsdefiledwithblood…Ihadneverallowedanyonetosmokeinthetruck.DrunkasIwas,IknewthatIwasbetrayingsomethingbyallowinghimtodefilethetruck'sinterior.—PatrickMoore d :toviolatethesanctityof:desecrate defileasanctuarywenttojailforcostumingthemselvesintheAmericanflagandthusdefilingit—JamesR.Gaines e :sully,dishonor defilehisreputation defile noun de·​file |\di-ˈfī(-ə)l ,ˈdē-ˌfī(-ə)l \ Definitionofdefile (Entry2of3) geology :anarrowpassage(asbetweenhills,rocks,orcliffs):gorgeentry1 …cometousfromanarrowdefileinthePennineAlpsbetweenSwitzerlandandItaly,aplacecalledtheGreatSt.BernardPass.—MichaelOlmert defile verb(2) de·​file |\di-ˈfī(-ə)l ,ˈdē-ˌfī(-ə)l \ defiled;defiling Definitionofdefile (Entry3of3) intransitiveverb military :tomarchoffinaline …breaksoutintoabraveandgloriousdescriptionoftheforces,astheydefiledthroughtheprincipalgateofthecity…—WashingtonIrving OtherWordsfromdefile Synonyms&Antonyms ChoosetheRightSynonym Didyouknow? MoreExampleSentences LearnMoreAboutdefile OtherWordsfromdefile Verb(1) defilement \ di-​ˈfī(-​ə)l-​mənt ,dē-​ \ noun defiler \ di-​ˈfī-​lər ,dē-​ \ noun Synonyms&Antonymsfordefile Synonyms:Verb(1) befoul,contaminate,foul,poison,pollute,taintSynonyms:Noun canyon(alsocañon),col,couloir,flume,gap,gill[British],gorge,gulch,gulf,kloof[SouthAfrican],linn[chieflyScottish],notch,pass,ravine,saddle Antonyms:Verb(1) decontaminate,purify VisittheThesaurusforMore  ChoosetheRightSynonymfordefile Verb(1) contaminate,taint,pollute,defilemeantomakeimpureorunclean.contaminateimpliesintrusionoforcontactwithdirtorfoulnessfromanoutsidesource. watercontaminatedbyindustrialwastes taintstressesthelossofpurityorcleanlinessthatfollowscontamination. taintedmeat apolitician'staintedreputation pollute,sometimesinterchangeablewithcontaminate,distinctivelymayimplythattheprocesswhichbeginswithcontaminationiscompleteandthatwhatwaspureorcleanhasbeenmadefoul,poisoned,orfilthy. thepollutedwatersoftheriver defileimpliesbefoulingofwhatcouldorshouldhavebeenkeptcleanandpureorheldsacredandcommonlysuggestsviolationordesecration. defileahero'smemorywithslanderousinnuendo Didyouknow? It'slikelythatwhenyouheartheverbdefile,whatcomestomindisnottroopmovementsbut,rather,somethingbeingcontaminatedordesecrated.Thatmorecommonlyencounteredhomographofdefile,meaning"tomakeuncleanorimpure,"datesbacktothe15thcenturyandisderivedfromtheAnglo-Frenchverbdefoiller,meaning"totrample."Theotherverbhomograph,ontheotherhand,arrivedinEnglishintheearly18thcentury.ItisalsofromFrenchbutisderivedfromtheverbdéfiler,formedbycombiningdé-withfiler("tomoveinacolumn").DéfilerisalsothesourceoftheEnglishnoundefile,whichmeans"narrowpassageorgorge." ExamplesofdefileinaSentence Noun thecattle,oncetheywerecorneredinthedefile,werequicklyroundedup RecentExamplesontheWeb:Verb PolicechargedBrevardwithabductionwithintenttodefileintheHomewoodSuitesattack. — WashingtonPost,27Mar.2022 Hewaschargedwithmurder,rapeandabductionwiththeintenttodefile. — SteveHelling,PEOPLE.com,17Nov.2021 There'slittleculturaloverlapbetweenviolentextremistsabroadandviolentextremistsathome,butthenthere'sdisdainforpluralismandtheirdisregardforhumanlife,andtheirdeterminationtodefilenationalsymbols. — ABCNews,12Sep.2021 Thequickansweristhatseven-inninggamesdefilethetraditionsofwhathasbeenAmerica’smost-traditionalgame. — PatrickReusse,StarTribune,15Aug.2020 Bothjourneysdisplayedhowtheforestwasbeingdefiledandcolonisedbyoutsiders:rubber-seekerswhobledthetreesandmassacredthetribes,crazedreligioussects. — TheEconomist,28May2020 Druggangskillwithimpunity,leavingtheirenemies’defiledcorpsesdisplayedaswarnings. — LorenaRios,Bloomberg.com,11Feb.2020 Inmosthacksthatdefileourcomputers,tablets,andcellphones,atraditionalvectoristhroughnewcodethatisintroducedandexecuted. — FrankO’brien,ArsTechnica,30Jan.2020 Krystalwouldn’tbedefiledthisearlyTuesdaymorning—notafterthatMondaynight. — MichaelCasagrande|[email protected],al,14Jan.2020 RecentExamplesontheWeb:Noun Almost200speciesofbirdshavebeenseeninhigh-walledRamseyCanyon,alushdefileintheHuachucaMountainssouthofSierraVistathat'smanagedbytheNatureConservancy. — RogerNaylor,TheArizonaRepublic,21Mar.2022 BetweenEvergreenandConiferMaxwellCreekslidesnorththroughatrailsidedefile,tremblesthroughbouldersinwaterysegments,andslipsoverblackgraniteblocksinshimmerysheetsatMaxwellFalls. — DanikaWorthington,TheKnow,19June2020 The27-year-oldWoodbridgemanwasarrestedandchargedwithabductionwithintenttodefileandburglary. — RiaManglapusAndLisaM.Bolton,WashingtonPost,30Oct.2019 Ratherthansimpleabduction,FairfaxprosecutorschargedHugheswithabductionwithintenttodefile,whichcarriedapossiblemaximumsentenceoflifeinprison. — TomJackman,WashingtonPost,10Dec.2019 Theeasierhigherslopesgavewaybelowthetimberlinetodefileslinedwithtreerootsandnarrowravines. — SimonAkam,OutsideOnline,27Nov.2019 FromtheopenvalleyoftheRíoChaschuil,theroadsuddenlyplungedintonarrowdefileswheretherockwasblushedwithsurrealmineralcolors—crimson,verdigris,malachite,violet. — StanleyStewart,CondéNastTraveler,22Aug.2019 Thepathtracesagentlestreamintoanarrowdefileframedbysoaringcliffs. — RogerNaylor,azcentral,13July2018 Thepathtracesagentlestreamintoanarrowdefileframedbysoaringcliffs. — RogerNaylor,azcentral,13July2018 SeeMore Theseexamplesentencesareselectedautomaticallyfromvariousonlinenewssourcestoreflectcurrentusageoftheword'defile.'ViewsexpressedintheexamplesdonotrepresenttheopinionofMerriam-Websteroritseditors.Sendusfeedback. FirstKnownUseofdefile Verb(1) 15thcentury,inthemeaningdefinedaboveNoun 1685,inthemeaningdefinedaboveVerb(2) 1705,inthemeaningdefinedabove HistoryandEtymologyfordefile Verb(1) MiddleEnglish,alteration(influencedbyfilentodefile,fromOldEnglishfȳlan)ofdefoilentotrample,defile,fromAnglo-Frenchdefoiller,defuler,totrample,fromde-+fuller,follertotrample,literally,tofull—moreatfull Noun Frenchdéfilé,frompastparticipleofdéfiler—seedefileentry3 Verb(2) Frenchdéfiler,fromdé-de-+filertomoveinacolumn—moreatfile LearnMoreAboutdefile Sharedefile PosttheDefinitionofdefiletoFacebook SharetheDefinitionofdefileonTwitter TimeTravelerfordefile Thefirstknownuseofdefilewas inthe15thcentury Seemorewordsfromthesamecentury ListentoOurPodcastAboutdefile ThememusicbyJoshuaStamper©2006NewJerusalemMusic/ASCAP GetWordoftheDaydeliveredtoyourinbox! SignUp DictionaryEntriesNeardefile defilade defile defilingly SeeMoreNearbyEntries  Statisticsfordefile Look-upPopularity CitethisEntry “Defile.”Merriam-Webster.comDictionary,Merriam-Webster,https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defile.Accessed4Jul.2022. Style:MLA MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster MoreDefinitionsfordefile defile transitiveverb de·​file |\di-ˈfīl \ defiled;defiling Legal Definitionofdefile :todishonorbyphysicalacts(astrampling,dirtying,ormutilating) defilingtheflag OtherWordsfromdefile defilement noun defiler noun MorefromMerriam-Websterondefile Nglish:TranslationofdefileforSpanishSpeakers BritannicaEnglish:TranslationofdefileforArabicSpeakers WORDOFTHEDAY Yankee SeeDefinitionsandExamples» GetWordoftheDaydailyemail! TestYourVocabulary GreatWordsforScrabble WhichofthefollowingQ-without-Uwordsmeansthenumberfiveincardsordice? tranq qigong cinq kamotiq Testyourvisualvocabularywithour10-questionchallenge! TAKETHEQUIZ Adailychallengeforcrosswordfanatics. 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