in defiance
In blatant rebelliousness or insolence. If you do one more thing in defiance, you'll be grounded for a month, understand? Anyone who acts out in defiance in my classroom will have Saturday detention to look forward to! So you snuck out last night, in defiance of the punishment your father and I had given you? Well, you're in big trouble now, mister.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
in defiance (of someone or something)
against someone's will or against instructions; in bold resistance to someone or someone's orders. Jane spent the afternoon in the park in defiance of her mother's instructions. She did it in defiance of her mother. She has done a number of things in defiance lately.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.