/dɪ'faɪ; dɪ`faɪ/
v (pt, pp defied)
1 [Tn]
(a) disobey or refuse to respect (sb, an authority, etc) 违抗, 反抗, 藐视, 蔑视（某人、权威等）
*They defied their parents and got married. 他们违抗父母的意愿而结婚了.
* defy the Government, the law, etc 蔑视政府、法律等.
(b) refuse to give in to (sb/sth); resist boldly 拒绝向（某人[某事物]　让步; 勇敢地抵抗
*The army defied the enemy's forces. 这支军队英勇抗敌.
2 [Tn] be so difficult as to make (sth) impossible （因有困难）使（某事）不可能, 办不到
*The door defied all attempts to open it. 这门用什么办法也打不开.
* The problem defied solution, ie could not be solved. 此问题无法解决.
3 [Dn.t] challenge (sb) to do sth one believes he cannot or will not do 激（某人）做其不能或不愿做的事
*I defy you to prove I have cheated. 我谅你无法证实我欺骗了人.

v past tense and past participledefiedpresent participledefyingthird person singulardefies [T]

[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French;Origin: defier, from Latin fidere 'to trust']
to refuse to obey a law or rule, or refuse to do what someone in authority tells you to do
→defiance
　people who openly defy the law
defy description/analysis/belief etc
to be almost impossible to describe or understand
　The beauty of the scene defies description.
defy logic/the odds etc
to not happen according to the principles you would expect
　a 16-week premature baby who defied the odds and survived
I defy sb to do sth
spoken formal used when you ask someone to do something that you think is impossible
　I defy anyone to prove otherwise.