"defies" in the verb sense
1. defy, withstand, hold, hold up
resist or confront with resistance
"The politician defied public opinion"
"The new material withstands even the greatest wear and tear"
"The bridge held"
2. defy, resist, refuse
elude, especially in a baffling way
"This behavior defies explanation"
3. defy, dare
challenge
"I dare you!"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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