What does défaire in French mean?
What is the meaning of the word défaire in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use défaire in French.
The word défaire in French means undo, dismantle, unpack, strip, unmake, come undone, break, part with, dismiss, break up, defeat, overcome, rid of, get out of a habit. To learn more, please see the details below.
Meaning of the word défaire
undoverbe transitif (dénouer) (transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.") J'ai défait mes lacets. I've undone my laces. |
dismantleverbe transitif (démonter) (transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.") J'ai défait mon stylo pour changer sa cartouche d'encre. I have taken my pen apart (or: to pieces) to change the ink cartridge. |
unpackverbe transitif (enlever, sortir [qch] de quelque part) (luggage) (transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.") Elle a défait ses bagages dès son arrivée à l'hôtel. She unpacked her luggage as soon as she arrived at the hotel. |
strip, unmakeverbe transitif (mettre en désordre) (bed) (transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.") La femme de chambre défait les lits et mets le linge dans le chariot. The maid strips (or: unmakes) the beds and puts the bed linen into the laundry cart. |
come undoneverbe pronominal (se détacher) Ce genre de lacet se défait tout le temps. That kind of shoelace comes undone all the time. |
breakverbe pronominal (perdre une habitude) (habit) (transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.") Elle ne se défera jamais de son habitude de fumer en mangeant. She will never break her habit of smoking while eating. |
part withverbe pronominal (se séparer de [qch]) (phrasal verb, transitive, inseparable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, not divisible--for example,"go with" [=combine nicely]: "Those red shoes don't go with my dress." NOT [S]"Those red shoes don't go my dress with."[/S]) Elle s'est défaite de quelques bijoux pour payer ses dettes. She got rid of several pieces of jewellery to pay her debts. |
dismissverbe pronominal (renvoyer [qqn]) (transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.") Le directeur cherche à se défaire de cet employé. The boss wants to rid himself of this employee. |
break upverbe transitif (soutenu (annuler) (phrasal verb, transitive, separable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, divisible--for example, "call off" [=cancel], "call the game off," "call off the game.") Cette agression a défait leur alliance. The attack broke up their alliance. |
defeat, overcomeverbe transitif (vaincre) (transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.") Rome a fini par défaire Carthage. Rome finally defeated Carthage. |
rid ofverbe transitif (soutenu (faire perdre [qch]) Son stage de théâtre l'a défait de sa timidité. Her theatre training rid her of her shyness. |
get out of a habit(perdre une habitude) (verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.") |
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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.