Defeat: English Vocabulary List

to have an undesirable, unfortunate, or disappointing outcome

"The project came to grief."

"Their ambitious expedition to climb the highest peak came to grief due to unexpected severe weather conditions."

with no chance of succeeding in a competition

"He is out of the running."

"After suffering a severe injury, the athlete was unfortunately out of the running for the Olympic medal."

far from the correct or expected result

"Your guess is wide of mark."

"The company's initial sales projections were wide of the mark, failing to account for market competition."

a situation or series of events that is marked by a sequence of humorous mistakes, mishaps, or misunderstandings

"A real comedy of errors."

"The entire wedding planning process turned into a comedy of errors with double bookings and forgotten arrangements."

to lose the chance to take advantage of something, particularly a good opportunity

"He missed the boat."

"She missed the boat on the job opportunity because she waited too long to apply."

someone or something that has never succeeded or is very unlikely to succeed in the future

"Without funding the project is a dead duck."

"When the evidence surfaced the politician was a dead duck facing certain defeat."

to suddenly fail at something

"The plan came a cropper."

"The young investor came a cropper when the stock market crashed and he lost all his money."

used to describe a situation or plan that has come to a complete halt or has become unproductive, with little to no chance of progress or success

"The project is dead."

"Without funding the whole project is dead in the water and will never be completed."

to be no longer effective or of much use

"That actor has passed his sell-by date."

"Many people feel that the ageing actor has passed his sell-by date and should retire from movies."

to experience a fall in social or financial status

"He came down in the world."

"After losing his fortune, he really came down in the world and had to start over."

someone who was once significant or important but is now considered outdated or no longer influential

"He is yesterday's man now."

"The old professor is yesterday's man whose teaching methods are no longer relevant to modern students."

to be unable to remember something clearly

"I drew a blank."

"Despite hours of searching through old files, the detective continued to draw a blank."

used to say that there are clear indications or signals that something negative or disastrous is going to happen soon, and that it is likely to be unavoidable

"The writing is on the wall — the company is in serious trouble."

"Long before the official announcement, employees could see the writing on the wall and began looking for new jobs."

to defeat a person or a group thoroughly, often in a very humiliating manner

"They took us to cleaners."

"The experienced lawyer took the opposing counsel to the cleaners in court, winning a landslide victory."

to overwhelm or defeat someone completely and unexpectedly

"The news knocked her off her feet."

"The sheer brilliance of the performance completely knocked the audience off their feet with its unexpected power."

a situation or activity that is not productive

"This project is a dead loss."

"Investing in the failing startup proved to be a dead loss, yielding no returns and significant financial setbacks."

a period of hardship, struggle, or adversity

"These are the dog days."

"The company is currently going through the dog days, facing significant financial challenges and layoffs."

someone who is prone to lose something that is of great value or importance to them, such as their position, job, title, etc.

"He is a dead man."

"The politician knew he was a dead man walking after the scandal was exposed by the newspapers."

a situation that shows no signs of progress or improvement

"Road is dead end."

"His job was a dead end with no promotions or raises after several years of work."

having failed in doing or achieving something and unable to continue

"He was down for count."

"After the third glass of wine he was down for the count and fell asleep on the sofa."

to be unable to come up with ideas or solutions to a problem

"I draw a blank."

"Despite extensive research and brainstorming, the team continued to draw a blank when trying to devise an innovative solution."

to defeat a person or a group thoroughly, often in a very humiliating manner

"They will take us to the cleaners."

"The underdog team was completely outplayed and consequently taken to the cleaners by their vastly superior opponents."

a mock prize, usually a wooden spoon, given to the person or team that finishes last in a competition

"He won the wooden spoon."

"Although they lost every game, the team's good sportsmanship earned them the coveted wooden spoon, a symbol of participation."

to overwhelm or defeat someone completely and unexpectedly

"The news knocked me off my feet."

"The unexpected diagnosis completely knocked her off her feet, leaving her feeling overwhelmed and disoriented by the sudden turn of events."