The meaning of Defile

verb

Make dirty; pollute.

Usage examples:

The dangers of letting industry befoul the environment

adjective

Having or showing a willingness to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain.

Usage examples:

Unscrupulous logging companies assisted by corrupt officials

verb

Cause to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain.

Usage examples:

There is a continuing fear of firms corrupting politicians in the search for contracts

adjective

Dishonest and willing to use your position or power to your own advantage, esp. for money

Usage examples:

It’s been called the most politically corrupt city in the nation., your philosophy is corrupt., pol…

verb

Reduce (something) in quality or value; degrade.

Usage examples:

The love episodes debase the dignity of the drama

verb

To reduce in quality or value

Usage examples:

Television is often blamed for debasing american politics.

verb

Treat or regard (someone) with contempt or disrespect.

Usage examples:

She thought that many supposedly erotic pictures degraded women

verb

To reduce the quality of something

Usage examples:

Degrading water/air quality, degraded sound quality, the state is funding projects to restore degra…

verb

To become worse in quality, or to make something worse

Usage examples:

Unlike with a cassette player, the sound of the mp3 player doesn't degrade as the battery weakens.

verb

End the existence of (something) by damaging or attacking it.

Usage examples:

The room had been destroyed by fire

verb

To damage something, esp. in a violent way, so that it can no longer be used or no longer exists

Usage examples:

You can use a shredder to destroy old bank statements., losing his job seemed to completely destroy…

adjective

Covered or marked with an unclean substance.

Usage examples:

A tray of dirty cups and saucers

adverb

Used for emphasis.

Usage examples:

A dirty great slab of stone

verb

Make dirty.

Usage examples:

She didn't like him dirtying her nice clean towels

adjective

Offensive to the senses, especially through having a disgusting smell or taste or being dirty.

Usage examples:

A foul odour

noun

(in sport) an unfair or invalid stroke or piece of play, especially one involving interference with an opponent.

Usage examples:

The midfielder was booked for a foul on ford

adverb

Contrary to the rules; unfairly.

Usage examples:

That's the real problem: even guys who want to play fair are under pressure from cheaters to play f…

verb

Weaken or damage (something, especially a faculty or function).

Usage examples:

A noisy job could permanently impair their hearing

verb

To damage or weaken something so that it is less effective

Usage examples:

Lack of sleep impaired her ability to think clearly., [ c ] the law bans discrimination against any…

verb

Affect (a person, organism, etc.) with a disease-causing organism.

Usage examples:

Pregnant women who may have been infected with the virus

verb

To cause disease in someone by introducing organisms such as bacteria or viruses

Usage examples:

Mosquitoes can infect people with malaria., fig. fear of an attack infected the entire city., an in…

verb

To damage a computer's software or data with a harmful program that has been passed from another computer

Usage examples:

Be infected by/with sth the hackers hijacked personal computers that had been previously infected b…

verb

Impair the quality or appearance of; spoil.

Usage examples:

Violence marred a number of new year celebrations

abbreviation

March.

verb

To spoil something, making it less good or less enjoyable

Usage examples:

Water will mar the finish of polished wood.

noun

A substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism when introduced or absorbed.

Usage examples:

He killed himself with poison

verb

Administer poison to (a person or animal), either deliberately or accidentally.

Usage examples:

Someone had tried to poison me

noun

A substance that causes illness or death if swallowed, absorbed, or breathed into the body

Usage examples:

[ u ] poison gas, [ c ] some cleaning products are poisons., [ u ] he sprayed the weeds with poison…

verb

Contaminate (water, the air, etc.) with harmful or poisonous substances.

Usage examples:

The explosion polluted the town with dioxin

Contaminate; make impure

verb

To make air, water, or earth dirty or harmful to people, animals, and plants, esp. by adding harmful chemicals or waste

Usage examples:

Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are polluting the groundwater., maybe there’s some kind of chem…

noun

The physical destruction or disintegration of something or the state of disintegrating or being destroyed.

Usage examples:

A large white house falling into gentle ruin

verb

Reduce (a building or place) to a state of decay, collapse, or disintegration.

Usage examples:

The castle was ruined when dynamite was used to demolish one of the corner towers

verb

To spoil or destroy something

Usage examples:

It would be a shame to ruin such a beautiful place., that guy isn’t going to ruin my life.

noun

The upper layer of earth in which plants grow, a black or dark brown material typically consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.

Usage examples:

Blueberries need very acid soil

verb

Make dirty.

Usage examples:

He might soil his expensive suit

noun

Waste matter, especially sewage containing excrement.

Usage examples:

Hazardous waste includes contaminated soil, paint, solvent residues, asbestos and highly acidic and…

verb

Diminish or destroy the value or quality of.

Usage examples:

I wouldn't want to spoil your fun

noun

Goods stolen or taken forcibly from a person or place.

Usage examples:

The looters carried their spoils away

verb

To destroy or damage something, or to become destroyed or damaged

Usage examples:

[ t ] the oil spill spoiled five miles of coastline., [ t ] don’t tell me how it ends, you’ll spoil…

verb

Mark or discolour with something that is not easily removed.

Usage examples:

Her clothing was stained with blood

noun

A coloured patch or dirty mark that is difficult to remove.

Usage examples:

There were mud stains on my shoes

verb

To leave a mark on something that is difficult to remove, or to become colored or spoiled by a mark

Usage examples:

[ t ] strawberry juice stained my shirt., [ i ] this carpet is practical because it doesn’t stain e…

verb

Damage the purity or integrity of.

Usage examples:

They were outraged that anyone should sully their good name

verb

To spoil something that is pure or someone's perfect reputation

Usage examples:

His reputation, he said, had been unfairly sullied by half-truths and innuendos., no speck of dirt …

noun

A trace of a bad or undesirable substance or quality.

Usage examples:

The lingering taint of creosote

verb

Contaminate or pollute (something).

Usage examples:

The air was tainted by fumes from the cars

noun

The perineum.

verb

Lose or cause to lose lustre, especially as a result of exposure to air or moisture.

Usage examples:

Silver tarnishes too easily

noun

Dullness of colour; loss of brightness.

Usage examples:

Silver can be oxidized to give the effect of tarnish, and this coloration was popular in europe and…

verb

(of metal surfaces) to become less bright or a different color

Usage examples:

[ i ] silver tarnishes easily., [ t ] the scandal has tarnished the agency’s reputation.