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defile

[dih-fahyl] / dɪˈfaɪl /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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I got in there the idea of a strain with the Lakers, but I wanted to make sure to not defile that relationship based upon certain things that I wasn’t going to dig into.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 14, 2026

A soldier who requested anonymity explained to AFP that since then the body had been guarded around the clock "so that rival groups do not defile him."

From Barron's Mar. 3, 2026

Some Parisians backed the move, but others - including heritage campaigners - said it was a bad idea and would "defile" the French capital's iconic monument.

From BBC Sep. 2, 2024

“But we continue with the tradition of protecting the forest because our ancestors have told us not to defile the forest.”

From Seattle Times Jan. 17, 2024

Mr. Das headed up the defile with the children, the boys at his side, the little girl on his shoulders.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

As mixed as I am on the film itself, I appreciate that the Academy is embracing not just a horror movie, but a gleeful Grand Guignol that defiles the Walk of Fame twice.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 24, 2025

"It is time to realize that fundamentalism defiles and corrupts every creed," he said.

From Reuters Sep. 14, 2022

In the name of personalization, she says, “it defiles, ignores, overrides and displaces everything about you and me that is personal.”

From Seattle Times Dec. 11, 2019

There is a fine line between reflecting the concerns of voters and performing a crude and offensive imitation that mocks and defiles their deepest beliefs.

From Washington Post Dec. 14, 2015

As the day wore on, Melyngar led them swiftly through rocky defiles to high ridges.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

The writer Octavio Paz, the Mexican Nobel laureate, denounced Malinche as a kind of malevolent Eve whose submission to Cortés forever defiled Mexico’s mixed identity.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 25, 2026

Close friend Jo Peraldi finds it hard to believe that a day of high emotion surrounding the funeral of Orsoni's mother could have been defiled in such a way.

From BBC Jan. 17, 2026

The Seleucids captured the holy Temple of Jerusalem and defiled it by erecting an altar to the Greek god Zeus inside.

From National Geographic Dec. 7, 2023

During Roof's trial the prosecution made sure to remind the jury that he had defiled a famous church.

From Salon Jul. 16, 2023

Therefore he was defiled and a defiler of others.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

The song's title is a reference to the Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code which deals with "Injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class".

From BBC May 30, 2022

"This is a defiling a classic," said another.

From Reuters Feb. 13, 2022

Others see the mining as defiling the land on the reserve by polluting the waters, stripping bare the land, as well as upending centuries-old cultural traditions.

From Seattle Times Jan. 17, 2022

"Without being able to arrest people, when we just fine them, they are probably making more money of the production of the things that are defiling the environment," the actor said in his welcome speech.

From Fox News Jun. 1, 2021

He hid his terror in his heart, however, and addressed the stranger: “What country is your fatherland? No hateful and defiling lies, I beg you. Tell me the truth.”

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton




Vocabulary lists containing defile


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