defile

/dɪˈfaɪl/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈfaɪl/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈfī(-ə)l dē-/ (ame, mw)

defile — 動詞

  • defilepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • defileshe / she / it
  • defiledpast simple
  • defiling-ing form

1. to treat a person, place, or thing in a way that leaves it dirty, dishonored, or

1.動詞及物C2
釋義

玷污；褻瀆

使人或神聖事物失去潔淨尊嚴

to treat a person, place, or thing in a way that leaves it dirty, dishonored, or no longer sacred

例句

Graffiti defiled the white wall of the old temple overnight.

塗鴉在一夜之間玷污了那座古老寺廟的白牆。

defile + sacred place/object

Soldiers defiled the grave by driving trucks across the fresh soil.

士兵開著卡車輾過新翻的泥土，褻瀆了那座墳墓。

同義詞
  • desecrate

    stronger and more clearly tied to holy places, graves, or sacred objects

  • sully

    often focuses on harming a reputation or good name rather than making something physically dirty

  • contaminate

    usually describes physical pollution without the moral or sacred force of defile

反義詞
  • purify

    means to make something clean or holy again

  • honor

    emphasizes respect rather than pollution or insult

文法句型

defile + sacred place/object

be defiled by + noun

用法筆記

Often used for graves, temples, flags, or bodies when the act is seen as dirtying their dignity as well as their surface. Frequently appears in the passive when the speaker is judging the act morally or religiously.

常見錯誤

❌The children defiled the kitchen floor with biscuit crumbs.
✅The children dirtied the kitchen floor with biscuit crumbs.
💡'defile' is for serious moral, symbolic, or sacred harm, not an ordinary mess.

defile — 名詞