Meanings
defile1
present singular third person defiles · participle present defiling · participle past defiled · past defiled
- transitiveTo make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean; to befoul, to soil.
[…] It is an euil birde that defiles his owne neſt, […]
1549 April 22 (Gregorian calendar), Hughe Latymer [i.e., Hugh Latimer], Augustine Bernher, compiler, “[27 Sermons Preached by the Ryght Reuerende Father in God and Constant Matir of Iesus Christe, Maister Hugh Latimer, […].] The Syxte Sermon of Maister Hugh Latymer, whiche He Preached before K. Edward [VI], the XII. Day of Aprill.”, in Certayn Godly Sermons, Made uppon the Lords Prayer, […], London: […] John Day, […], published 1562, →OCLC, folio 71, verso4 more examples
I have ſowed ſackcloth vpon my ſkin, and defiled my horne in the duſt.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 16:15, column 1Spain might now boast that the stain of heresy no longer defiled the hem of her garment. But at what a price was this purchased!
1855, William H[ickling] Prescott, “Protestantism in Spain”, in History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, volume I, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, →OCLC, book II, page 446At mankind's feast, I take my place / In solemn, sanctimonious state, / And have the air of saying grace / While I defile the dinner plate.
1887, Robert Louis Stevenson, “A Portrait”, in Underwoods, London: Chatto and Windus, […], →OCLC, book I (In English), page 63“That's only dirt—it will brush off.” But he looked at me with his haggard hopeless eyes and said— “It is mud. Black, slimy, horrible mud. I am defiled.”
1911 October, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Journey”, in The Forerunner: A Monthly Magazine, volume II, number 10, New York, N.Y.: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, →OCLC, page 271, column 1Synonyms: contaminate, pollute, spoil, sully, assoil, beclart, bedaub, bedirty · Antonyms: clean, purify, clean, cleanse
- transitiveTo make (someone or something) morally impure or unclean; to corrupt, to tarnish.
[T]here is no thynge with outt a man that can diffyle hym when hitt entreth in to hym⸝ but thoo thyngꝭ [things] which procede out of a mã [man] are thoſe which defyle a mã.
1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, The Gospell off S. Marke vij:[15], folio liiij, recto1 more example
Chr[istian]. VVhy, I tro you did not conſent to her deſires? / Faith[full]. No, not to defile my ſelf; for I remembred an old vvriting that I had ſeen, vvhich ſaith, Her ſteps take hold of Hell. [Proverbs 5:5] So I ſhut mine eyes, becauſe I vvould not be bevvitched with her looks: [Job 31:1] then ſhe railed on me, and I vvent my vvay.
1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC, pages 89–90 - transitiveTo act inappropriately towards or vandalize (something sacred or special); to desecrate, to profane.
To urinate on someone’s grave is an example of a way to defile it.
3 more examples
And all yͤ chiefe amonge the preſtes, and the people, multiplyed their ſynnes, acordinge to all the abhominacions of the Heythen, and dyfyled the houſe of the LORDE, which he had ſanctified at Jeruſalem.
1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius Cervicornus and Johannes Soter?], →OCLC, II. Cronicles xxxvj:[14], folio cvi, verso, column 1Remember them, O my God, becauſe they haue defiled the Prieſthood, and the couenant of the Prieſthood, and of the Leuites.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Nehemiah 13:29, column 2The vote in the Bundestag (parliament) on Thursday makes defiling foreign flags equal to the crime of defiling the German flag.
2020 May 15, “Burning EU and other flags can now bring German jail term”, in BBC, archived from the original on 04 Jun 2025Synonyms: corrupt, desecrate, profanate, profane, profanize, pollute, sully, tarnish · Antonyms: hallow, sanctify, avow, behallow, bless, canonize, consecrate, dedicate
- transitivelifestyleTo cause (something or someone) to become ritually unclean.
That which dieth of it ſelfe, or is torne with beaſts, hee ſhall not eate to defile himſelfe therewith: I am the Lord.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Leviticus 22:8, column 21 more example
What ſo euer crepeth vpon earth, ſhall be an abhominacion vnto you, and ſhal not be eaten. […] Make not youre ſoules abhominable, and defyle you not in them, to ſtayne youre ſelues: for I am the LORDE youre God. Therfore ſhal ye ſanctifie youre ſelues, that ye maye be holy, for I am holy. And ye ſhal not defyle youreſelues on eny maner of crepynge beeſt, that crepeth vpon earth: […]
1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius Cervicornus and Johannes Soter?], →OCLC, Leuiticus xj:[41 and 43–44], folio xlvi, verso, column 2 - obsoletetransitiveTo deprive (someone) of their sexual chastity or purity, often not consensually; to deflower, to rape.
The serial rapist kidnapped and defiled a six-year-old girl.
3 more examples
And when Shechem the ſonne of Hamor the Hiuite, prince of the countrey ſaw her [Dinah], he tooke her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 34:2, column 2VVhat Tongue can ſpeak the reſtleſs Monarch's VVoes; / VVhen GOD, and Nathan vvere declar'd his Foes? / VVhen ev'ry Object his Offence revil'd, / The Husband murder'd, and the VVife defil'd, / The Parent's Sins impreſs'd upon the dying Child?
1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, page 490The ſecond offence, more immediately affecting the perſonal ſecurity of individuals, relates to the female part of his majeſty's ſubjects; being that of their forcible abduction and marriage; which is vulgarly called ſtealing an heireſs. For by ſtatute 3 Hen. VII. c. 2. it is enacted, that if any perſon ſhall for lucre take any woman, maid, widow, or wife, having ſubtance either in goods or lands, or being heir apparent to her anceſtors, contrary to her will; and afterwards ſhe be married to ſuch miſdoer, or by his conſent to others, or defiled; ſuch perſon, and all his acceſſories, ſhall be deemed principal felons: […]
1769, William Blackstone, “Of Offences against the Persons of Individuals”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book IV (Of Public Wrongs), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 208Synonyms: ravish, violate, vitiate, abuse, constuprate, defoul, dishonour, force
- obsoletetransitiveTo dishonour (someone).
Come recreant, come thou childe, / Ile vvhippe thee vvith a rodde. He is defil'd, / That dravves a ſvvord on thee.
c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame. […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, […], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]1 more example
[H]is Character may be Defiled by ſuch Men and dirty Hands as thoſe of the Obſervator, or ſuch as employ him, […]
1708 December 15 (Gregorian calendar; date written), [Jonathan Swift], A Letter from a Member of the House of Commons in Ireland to a Member of the House of Commons in England, Concerning the Sacramental Test, London: […] John Morphew […], published 1709, →OCLC, page 7 - intransitiveobsoleteTo become dirty or unclean.
[Y]ou vvill find if you do not daily ſvveep you houſes, they vvill defile; and the cob-vvebs they vvill grovv; the Spiders vvill be at vvork; and though your hearts be never ſo pure, Spiders vvill creep into them, […]
1672 January 16 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Caryl, “Sermon II”, in The Nature and Principles of Love, as the End of the Commandment. […], London: […] John Hancock, Senior and Junior, […], published 1673, →OCLC, page 79 - intransitiveobsoleteTo cause uncleanliness; specifically, to pass feces; to defecate.
There is a thing Harry, vvhich thou haſt often heard of, and it is knovvne to many in our land by the name of pitch. This pitch (as ancient vvriters do report) doth defile, ſo doth the companie thou keepeſt: […]
c. 1597 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The History of Henrie the Fourth; […], quarto edition, London: […] P[eter] S[hort] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1598, →OCLC, [Act II, scene v]
defile2
present singular third person defiles · participle present defiling · participle past defiled · past defiled
- alsoarchaicfigurativelyintransitivegovernmentTo march in a single file or line; to file.
Without delay, he briſkly attacked them, as they were defiling from a lane and forming themſelves.
1754, David Hume, “[Charles I.] Chapter II.”, in The History of Great Britain, under the House of Stuart, 2nd edition, volume I, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], published 1759, →OCLC, page 3323 more examples
Several bodies of troops defiled towards the frontiers under various pretences; and the whole being ſuddenly aſſembled, formed an army with which the duke of Guiſe [Francis, Duke of Guise] made an unexpected march towards Calais.
1762, David Hume, “[John.] Chapter VII.”, in The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar to the Accession of Henry VII, volume I, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, page 393As the multitude defiled into the square, the inquisitors took their place on the seats prepared for their reception.
1855, William H[ickling] Prescott, “Protestantism in Spain”, in History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, volume I, Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, →OCLC, book II, page 428They [pigs] defiled down a gully to the water and bunched and jerked their noses at it and came back.
1979, Cormac McCarthy, Suttree (Vintage Contemporaries), New York, N.Y.: Vintage International, Vintage Books, published May 1992, →ISBN, page 138 - alsofigurativelyobsoletetransitivegovernmentTo march across (a place) in files or lines.
plural defiles · alternative defilé · alternative defilee · alternative défilé
- alsofigurativelygovernmentA narrow passage or way (originally (military), one which soldiers could only march through in a single file or line), especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains.
[…] I roam / By Thrasimene's lake, in the defiles / Fatal to Roman rashness, more at home; […]
1818, Lord Byron, “Canto IV”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Canto the Fourth, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, stanza LXII, page 345 more examples
VVe had one dangerous Place to paſs, vvhich our Guide told us, if there vvere any more VVolves in the Country, vve ſhould find them there; and this vvas in a ſmall Plain, ſurrounded vvith VVoods on every Side, and a long narrovv Defile or Lane, vvhich vve vvere to paſs to get through the VVood, and then vve ſhould come to the Village vvhere vve vvere to lodge.
1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 353Conſtantine had taken poſt in a defile about half a mile in breadth, between a ſteep hill and a deep moraſs, and in that ſituation he ſteadily expected and repulſed the firſt attack of the enemy.
1776, Edward Gibbon, chapter XIV, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC, page 437[T]hese granite hills, thousands of feet high, were impracticable for heavy troops: the passes through them being formidable defiles, very costly to assault or cover.
1922 (date written; published 1926), T[homas] E[dward] Lawrence, “Book III: A Railway Diversion. Chapter XXVIII.”, in Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran & Company, published 1937, →OCLC, page 168All three parallel valleys of the Llynvi, Garw and Ogmore are much the same in physical character: the lower reaches are wooded and not unattractive, but as the railway climbs on ever-steepening grades, the hills on either hand grow barer and closer together, while in all respects the scene becomes more sombre, with the terraced, slate-roofed colliery towns and the road, railway and river all struggling for space in the narrowing defiles.
1955 July, D. S. Barrie, “Railways of the Bridgend District”, in Railway Magazine, page 449The next morning the enemy were on the march before him, seized the defiles, blocked the fords of the rivers, destroyed the bridges, and sent out cavalry to patrol the open ground, so as to oppose the Athenians at every step as they retreated.
1960, Plutarch, “Nicias [c. 470–413 b.c.]”, in Ian Scott-Kilvert, transl., The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives […] (Penguin Classics; L102), London: Penguin Books, published 1967, →OCLC, page 239 - alsofigurativelygovernmentAn act of marching in files or lines.
- alsofigurativelygovernmentA single file of soldiers; (by extension) any single file.
defile3
present singular third person defiles · participle present defiling · participle past defiled · past defiled
- alsofigurativelyraretransitivegovernmentSynonym of defilade (“to fortify (something) as a protection from enfilading fire”).
Synonyms: defilade
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean; to befoul, to soil.
verbTo act inappropriately towards or vandalize (something sacred or special); to desecrate, to profane.
verbTo deprive (someone) of their sexual chastity or purity, often not consensually; to deflower, to rape.
verbSynonym of defilade (“to fortify (something) as a protection from enfilading fire”).
More synonyms by meaning
verbmake dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
defile · verb
- Proto-Indo-European*puH-“foul; rotten”
- Proto-Germanic*fūlaz“dirty, foul; rotten”
- Proto-West Germanic*fūlijan“to make dirty, befoul”
- Old Englishfūlian“to foul”
- Old Englishfȳlan“to befoul, defile, pollute”
- Etruscan𐌘𐌖𐌋𐌖
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰleh₃-“to blow; to inflate, swell; to bloom, flower”
- Latinfullō“person who fulls cloth, fuller”
- Vulgar Latinfullāre“to full (make cloth denser and firmer by soaking, beating, and pressing)”
- Old Frenchdefoler
- Old Englishfūlian“to decay”
- Middle Englishfoulen“to make dirty, soil, pollute”
- Middle Englishdefilen“to make dirty, befoul; rape; abuse; destroy; injure; oppress”
- Englishdefile
From Late Middle English defilen (“to make dirty, befoul; rape; abuse; destroy; injure; oppress”) [and other forms], a variant of defoulen (“to make dirty, defile, pollute; have sexual intercourse with; rape; etc.”) (compare also defoilen). Defoulen is a blend of Middle English foulen (“to make dirty, soil, pollute”) (from the adjective foul (“dirty, rotten, stinking, corrupt, sinful, guilty”) and Old English fūlian (“to decay”)), and Old French defoler, defouler (“to trample, crush; destroy”), from de- (intensifying prefix) + foler, fouler, fuller (“to trample, tread on; mistreat, oppress, destroy”) (from Vulgar Latin fullāre (“to full (make cloth denser and firmer by soaking, beating, and pressing)”), from Latin fullō (“person who fulls cloth, fuller”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“to blow; to inflate, swell; to bloom, flower”) or Etruscan 𐌘𐌖𐌋𐌖 (φulu)). The English word is analysable as de- + file (“to corrupt; defile”). The Middle English word defilen was probably formed from defoulen on the analogy of befilen (“to make dirty, befoul; corrupt; violate one's chastity; desecrate; slander”) and befoulen (“to make dirty, befoul; violate one's chastity; vilify”), respectively from Old English befȳlan (“to befoul, pollute, defile, make filthy”) (compare also Middle English filen (“to make foul, impure, or unclean, pollute; pollute morally or spiritually; desecrate, profane; have sexual intercourse with; rape; etc.”)) and foulen (“to make dirty, pollute; become dirty; defecate; deface or deform; pollute morally or spiritually; damage, injure; destroy; treat unfairly, oppress; tread on, trample”). Filen and foulen are respectively from Old English fȳlan (“to befoul, defile, pollute”) and Old English fūlian (“to foul”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūlijan (“to make dirty, befoul”) and *fūlēn (“to become foul, decay”), both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *fūlaz (“dirty, foul; rotten”), from Proto-Indo-European *puH- (“foul; rotten”). See foul. Cognates * German Low German befulen (“to defile, sully”) * Dutch bevuilen (“to defile, soil”) * Scots befile (“to befoul, dirty”) * West Frisian befûjle (“to soil”)
More words from Middle English, Old English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →defile · verb, noun
- Frenchdéfilé“parade, procession”
- Latinfīlum
- Old Frenchfil
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-
- Latinfīlum“fibre, filament, string, thread”
- Late Latinfilāre
- Frenchdéfiler“to march; to parade”
- Englishdefile
PIE word *dwís The verb is borrowed from French défiler (“to march; to parade”), from dé- (prefix indicating actions are done more strongly or vigorously) + one or both of the following: * filer (“to thread through (a crowd)”) (from Late Latin filāre, from Latin fīlum (“fibre, filament, string, thread”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰiH-(s-)lo-). * file (“line of objects placed one after the other, file”), from filer (see above), or fil (“thread, yarn; wire”), from Old French fil, from Latin fīlum (see above). The noun is borrowed from French défilé (“parade, procession”), a noun use of the past participle of défiler (verb); see above.
More words from French, Late Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →defile · verb, noun
- Frenchdéfiler“to arrange soldiers or fortify (something) as a protection from enfilading fire; to unthread”
- Englishdefile
The verb is borrowed from French défiler (“to arrange soldiers or fortify (something) as a protection from enfilading fire; to unthread”) (compare Middle French desfilher (“to unthread”)), from dé- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + enfiler (“to rake with gunfire, enfilade; to string on to a thread; to thread (a needle)”) (from en- (prefix meaning ‘in, into; on, on to’) + filer (verb) or file (noun); see etymology 2). The noun is derived from the verb.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μιαίνω, μολύνω
- μιαίνω (miaínō)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- μολύνω (molúnō)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- ἀναπίμπλημι (anapímplēmi)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Bulgarian опетнявам, осквернявам
- опетнявам (opetnjavam)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- осквернявам (oskvernjavam)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- дефилирам (defiliram)to march in a single file or line — see also file
- дефиле (defile)narrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- боаз (boaz)narrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- проход (prohod)narrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
Catalan contaminar, embrutar
- contaminarto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- embrutarto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- pol·luirto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Chinese Mandarin 污秽
- 污秽 (wūhuì)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Czech pošpinit, poskvrnit
- pošpinitto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- poskvrnitto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Dutch bevuilen, bezoedelen
- bevuilento make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- bezoedelento make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- onrein makento make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- ontreinigento make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- verontreinigento make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- engtenarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
Esperanto malpurigi
- malpurigito make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Finnish tahrata, marssia jonossa
- tahratato make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- marssia jonossato march in a single file or line — see also file
- solanarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- jonosingle file of soldiers; any single file
French souiller, défiler
- souillerto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- défilerto march in a single file or line — see also file
- défilésingle file of soldiers; any single file
German verunreinigen, Bergpass
- verunreinigento make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- Bergpassnarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- Engpassnarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- Hohlwegnarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- Passnarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
Greek λερώνω, μαγαρίζω
- λερώνω (leróno)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- μαγαρίζω (magarízo)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- μολύνω (molýno)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- ρυπαίνω (rypaíno)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- βεβηλώνω (vevilóno)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- δερβένι (dervéni)narrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- παρέλαση (parélasi)single file of soldiers; any single file
Hungarian bemocskol, beszennyez
- bemocskolto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- beszennyezto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Irish éilligh, salaigh
- éillighto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- salaighto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- truaillighto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Japanese 冒涜する, 濁す
- 冒涜する (bōtoku suru)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- 濁す (nigosu)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- 汚す (yogosu)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Latin coinquinō, inquinō
- coinquinōto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- inquinōto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- polluoto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- scelerōto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- angustiaenarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- furculaenarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- pylaenarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- saltusnarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
Māori hāparu, whakapoke
- hāparuto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- whakapoketo make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- kapitinarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- kōakanarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- kopianarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
Norwegian Bokmål besudle, tilskitne
- besudleto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- tilskitneto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Persian لگدمال کردن
- لگدمال کردن (lagadmâl kardan)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Portuguese conspurcar
- conspurcarto make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Romanian spurca
- spurcato make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Russian па́чкать, мара́ть
- па́чкать (páčkatʹ)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- мара́ть (marátʹ)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- загрязня́ть (zagrjaznjátʹ)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- оскверня́ть (oskvernjátʹ)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- растлева́ть (rastlevátʹ)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- развраща́ть (razvraščátʹ)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- дефилировать (defilirovatʹ)to march in a single file or line — see also file
- дефиле́ (defilé)narrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- тесни́на (tesnína)narrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- у́зкий прохо́д (úzkij proxód)narrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- дефиле́ (defilé)single file of soldiers; any single file
Spanish desfilar, desfiladero
- desfilarto march in a single file or line — see also file
- desfiladeronarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- angosturanarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- estrechonarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- pasonarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
- desfilesingle file of soldiers; any single file
- fila indiasingle file of soldiers; any single file
Swahili kutia najisi
- kutia najisito make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Swedish orena, defilera
- orenato make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
- defilerato march in a single file or line — see also file
Tagalog banawag
- banawagnarrow passage or way, especially a narrow gorge or pass between mountains
Yiddish באַשמוצן
- באַשמוצן (bashmutsn)to make (someone or something) physically dirty or unclean
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with defile
Anagrams
Cite this entry
defile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defile
“defile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defile. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “defile,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/defile.
Source: defile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.