defile

/dɪˈfaɪl/

/dɪˈfaɪl/

Other forms: defiled; defiles; defiling

When you defile something, you make it dirty or make it lose its purity. Think of a snowy field in which someone has tossed their old cans and wrappers. The litter defiles the winter wonderland.

For something to be defiled, it first must be pure. You can't defile a garbage dump or a messy room. Defile is often used in a religious context. If you were to burn a copy of the Bible or spray-paint the walls of a church, it could be said that you defiled the holy book or place.

Definitions of defile

1. verb

   make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
   synonyms: maculate, stain, sully, tarnish

   types:

   darken

   tarnish or stain

   type of:

   blob, blot, fleck, spot

   make a spot or mark onto
2. verb

   spot, stain, or pollute
   “The townspeople defiled the river by emptying raw sewage into it”

   synonyms: befoul, foul, maculate

   type of:

   attaint, disgrace, dishonor, dishonour, shame

   bring shame or dishonor upon
3. verb

   place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
   synonyms: cloud, corrupt, pollute, sully, taint, tarnish

   type of:

   deflower, impair, mar, spoil, vitiate

   make imperfect
4. noun

   a narrow pass (especially one between mountains)
   synonyms: gorge

   type of:

   mountain pass, notch, pass

   the location in a range of mountains of a geological formation that is lower than the surrounding peaks