What does défait in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word défait in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use défait in French.

The word défait in French means disordered, untidy, messy, defeated, actually, effectively, undo, dismantle, unpack, strip, unmake, come undone, break, part with, dismiss, break up, defeat, overcome, rid of, look distraught, look shattered. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word défait

disordered, untidy, messy

adjectif (mal arrangé)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Un lacet défait est dangereux.
An undone lace is a hazard.

defeated

adjectif (vaincu de beaucoup)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
L'équipe défaite monta sur la 2e marche du podium.
The defeated team mounted the second step of the podium.

actually

locution adverbiale (véritablement)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Ce hangar est de fait très mal aéré.
This hangar is actually really badly ventilated.

effectively

locution adverbiale (effectivement)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Une grosse cylindrée assure de fait une meilleure reprise.
A large engine effectively ensures better performance.

undo

verbe 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.

dismantle

verbe 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.

unpack

verbe 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, unmake

verbe 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 undone

verbe pronominal (se détacher)

Ce genre de lacet se défait tout le temps.
That kind of shoelace comes undone all the time.

break

verbe 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 with

verbe 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.

dismiss

verbe 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 up

verbe 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, overcome

verbe 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 of

verbe transitif (soutenu (faire perdre [qch])

Son stage de théâtre l'a défait de sa timidité.
Her theatre training rid her of her shyness.

look distraught, look shattered

locution verbale (avoir mauvaise mine)

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of défait in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

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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.