Definition

1. Noun:

   • A major defeat, a crushing defeat, a rout: A severe and decisive loss in a competition, battle, or conflict.
   • A fiasco, a debacle: A complete and humiliating failure.

2. Adjective:

   • Suffering a major/crushing defeat: Describing a state of having been utterly defeated.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Đội bóng đó phải chịu một đại bại thảm hại. (That football team suffered a humiliating defeat.)
  • Trận đánh đó kết thúc bằng một đại bại cho quân xâm lược. (That battle ended in a crushing defeat for the invaders.)

• Adjective:

  • Quân đội ấy đã hoàn toàn đại bại. (That army was completely and utterly defeated.)
  • Kế hoạch của họ thất bại thảm hại, họ đã đại bại. (Their plan failed miserably; they were soundly defeated.)

Advanced Usage

• "thảm bại" vs. "đại bại": While both mean "defeat," "đại bại" emphasizes the scale and completeness of the loss, often implying a rout. "Thảm bại" emphasizes the tragic or miserable nature of the defeat.
  • Sau trận đại bại, tinh thần binh lính suy sụp hoàn toàn. (After the crushing defeat, the soldiers' morale completely collapsed.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bại (v/n): To lose / a defeat. (The root word, indicating loss or defeat).
• Thất bại (v/n): To fail / failure. (A more general term for failure).
• Đại thắng (n): A great victory. (The direct antonym).

Synonyms

• Thảm bại (n): A miserable/ disastrous defeat.
• Bại trận (n): To be defeated in battle.
• Thua cuộc (v/n): To lose / a loss (in a game or contest).

Related Phrases / Idioms

• Đại bại như Tào Tháo tháo chạy: (Idiom) A defeat as great as Cao Cao's retreat. This refers to a famous historical rout and means a complete and panicked defeat.
  • Đội của họ thua với tỉ số 10-0, thực sự là đại bại như Tào Tháo tháo chạy. (Their team lost 10-0, it was truly a defeat of epic proportions.)
• Thua đau, thua đậm: (Colloquial) To lose badly, to be thrashed. This is a common spoken phrase describing a heavy loss.

1. Suffer a bitter defeat