defy
defy — 動詞
1. to openly choose not to follow a rule, law, or instruction, showing that you do
違抗
不遵守命令、規則或法律
to openly choose not to follow a rule, law, or instruction, showing that you do not accept the authority of the person who gave it.
The teenager defied her parents' curfew by staying out until after midnight.
那名青少年違抗父母的宵禁規定，在外待到半夜過後才回家。
defy + noun phrase (a rule set by someone in authority)
Ramón defied the company's dress code by wearing jeans to the office every day.
Ramón 每天穿牛仔褲上班，公然違抗公司的服裝規定。
Civil rights leaders often defied unjust laws to push for social change.
民權領袖經常違抗不公義的法律，以推動社會變革。
The soldier was punished for defying a direct order from his commanding officer.
那名士兵因違抗指揮官的直接命令而受到處罰。
When the new safety rule was announced, several workers openly defied it.
新的安全規定公布後，有幾名工人公開違抗。
文法句型
defy + noun phrase (an order, a rule, an authority)
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person or group. The thing being defied is typically an order, rule, law, or someone in a position of authority.
常見錯誤
2. to be so strange or extreme that you cannot believe it or put it into words prop
難以置信
極端怪異而難以相信或描述
to be so strange or extreme that you cannot believe it or put it into words properly.
The beauty of the night sky in the desert defied description — words were not enough.
沙漠夜空的壯麗美得令人無法形容——言語都不足以表達。
defy + description (formal pattern: cannot be adequately described)
Kemi's recovery from the rare disease defied all medical predictions.
Kemi 從那種罕見疾病中康復，完全顛覆了所有醫學預測。
The special effects in the film defy imagination with their creativity and detail.
那部電影的特效創意與細緻程度超乎想像。
The level of corruption shown in the leaked report truly defies belief.
外洩報告中顯示的貪腐程度令人難以置信。
How the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids still defies full explanation.
古埃及人是如何建造金字塔的，至今仍無法完全解釋。
文法句型
defy + belief / description / explanation / imagination
用法筆記
Common objects are abstract nouns like 'belief', 'description', 'explanation', 'imagination', and 'logic'. This sense is always transitive and nearly always used with an inanimate subject.
常見錯誤
3. to challenge a person by asking them to try something you believe is too difficu
挑戰；激
激將或挑戰某人做困難的事
to challenge a person by asking them to try something you believe is too difficult for them, in order to test their courage or prove your point.
I defy you to find a better restaurant in this whole neighbourhood.
我倒要看你能否在這附近找到更好的餐廳。
defy + someone + to-infinitive (challenge pattern)
Tamar defied her brother to jump across the wide stream near their house.
Tamar 激她弟弟跳過家門口那條寬溪。
The politician defied his opponent to prove the accusation in court.
那位政治人物挑戰對手，要他在法庭上證明這項指控。
Hao defied his classmates to climb the tallest tree in the school park.
Hao 挑戰他的同學去爬學校公園裡最高的樹。
Jude defied his colleague to name even one country where the plan had worked.
Jude 要他的同事說出一個這項計劃曾經奏效的國家。
文法句型
defy + someone + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Almost always used in the pattern 'defy + someone + to-infinitive'. The infinitive describes the action the person is being challenged to do. This sense is often used as a rhetorical device ('I defy you to…').
常見錯誤
4. to successfully withstand or survive the effects of something such as time, pres
經得起；抵擋
成功抵抗或經受住考驗
to successfully withstand or survive the effects of something such as time, pressure, attack, or analysis.
The old stone castle has defied the weather for over five hundred years.
那座古老石堡已經抵擋風雨超過五百年。
defy + noun phrase (withstand successfully over time)
Her latest novel defies easy classification into any single literary genre.
她最新的小說難以歸類到任何單一的文學類型。
The athlete's quiet determination defied every attempt to break her spirit.
那位運動員堅定的毅力抵擋了所有試圖擊垮她意志的舉動。
Ingrid's argument defied simple logic and left the whole room confused.
Ingrid 的論證不合常理，讓整間房間的人都一頭霧水。
This ancient tradition defies modern trends and stays the same year after year.
這項古老的傳統經得起現代潮流的考驗，年復一年保持不變。
- succumb to
to give in to pressure or force
- yield to
to allow yourself to be affected by something
文法句型
defy + noun phrase (an attempt, pressure, time, analysis)
用法筆記
Subject is typically an inanimate thing (a building, an idea, a tradition) that has lasted or stayed strong. Frequently appears with adjectives like 'easy' or 'simple' modifying the object ('defies easy explanation').
常見錯誤
defy — 名詞
1. an act of open resistance or a direct challenge to someone's authority, rules, o
反抗；挑戰
不服從或挑戰權威的行為
an act of open resistance or a direct challenge to someone's authority, rules, or expectations.
The senator's speech was a direct defy of the party leadership.
那位參議員的發言是對黨內領導層的直接挑戰。
a + defy + of (noun pattern, formal)
Mauricio viewed the new safety rules as a personal defy and ignored them on purpose.
Mauricio 把新的安全規定視為對個人的挑釁，故意置之不理。
The children's refusal to clean their room was a small defy of their parents' authority.
孩子們拒絕打掃房間，是對父母權威的小小反抗。
His silence during the hearing was seen as a quiet defy of the court.
他在聽證會上保持沉默，被視為對法庭的無聲反抗。
- submission
accepting someone's authority without resistance
文法句型
a defy + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
This noun form is much less common than the verb. It is used primarily in formal or literary contexts and often appears with adjectives like 'direct', 'quiet', or 'open'.