| Principales traductions |
| défaire⇒ vtr | (dénouer) | undo⇒ vtr |
| | (knot) | untie⇒ vtr |
| | J'ai défait mes lacets. |
| | I've undone my laces. |
| défaire vtr | (démonter) | dismantle⇒ vtr |
| | | take [sth] apart, take [sth] to pieces v expr |
| | (wool, wire, string) | unwind⇒, unravel⇒, undo⇒ vtr |
| | (theory) | invalidate⇒, refute⇒, disprove⇒ vtr |
| | J'ai défait mon stylo pour changer sa cartouche d'encre. |
| | I have dismantled my pen to change the ink cartridge. |
| | I have taken my pen apart (or: to pieces) to change the ink cartridge. |
| défaire vtr | (enlever, sortir [qch] de quelque part) (luggage) | unpack⇒ vtr |
| | | take [sth] out vtr phrasal sep |
| | | remove⇒ vtr |
| | Elle a défait ses bagages dès son arrivée à l'hôtel. |
| | She unpacked her luggage as soon as she arrived at the hotel. |
| défaire vtr | (mettre en désordre) (bed) | strip⇒, unmake⇒ vtr |
| | | undo⇒ vtr |
| | La femme de chambre défait les lits et mets le linge dans le chariot. |
| | The maid strips (or: unmakes) the beds and puts the bed linen into the laundry cart. |
| se défaire⇒ v pron | (se détacher) | come undone vi + adj |
| | | come apart vi + adj |
| | | untie itself, undo itself vtr + refl |
| | Ce genre de lacet se défait tout le temps. |
| | That kind of shoelace comes undone all the time. |
| se défaire de [qch]⇒ v pron | (perdre une habitude) (habit) | break⇒ vtr |
| | | rid yourself of [sth] v expr |
| | | get rid of [sth] v expr |
| | Elle ne se défera jamais de son habitude de fumer en mangeant. |
| | She will never break her habit of smoking while eating. |
| se défaire de [qch] v pron | (se séparer de [qch]) | part with [sth] vtr phrasal insep |
| | (informal) | get rid of [sth] v expr |
| | (formal) | dispose of [sth] vtr phrasal insep |
| | Elle s'est défaite de quelques bijoux pour payer ses dettes. |
| | She parted with some of her jewellery to pay her debts. |
| | She got rid of several pieces of jewellery to pay her debts. |
| Traductions supplémentaires |
| se défaire de [qqn]⇒ v pron | (renvoyer [qqn]) | dismiss⇒ vtr |
| | (informal) | let [sb] go v expr |
| | | rid yourself of [sb], be rid of [sb] v expr |
| | | get rid of [sb] v expr |
| | Le directeur cherche à se défaire de cet employé. |
| | The boss wants to dismiss this employee. |
| | The boss wants to let this employee go. |
| | The boss wants to rid himself of this employee. |
| défaire vtr | soutenu (annuler) | break [sth] up vtr phrasal sep |
| | Cette agression a défait leur alliance. |
| | The attack broke up their alliance. |
| défaire vtr | (vaincre) | defeat⇒, overcome⇒ vtr |
| | Rome a fini par défaire Carthage. |
| | Rome finally defeated Carthage. |
| défaire vtr | soutenu (faire perdre [qch]) | rid [sb] of [sth] vtr + prep |
| | (informal) | get rid of [sth] v expr |
| | Son stage de théâtre l'a défait de sa timidité. |
| | Her theatre training rid her of her shyness. |