only 1 use
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Definition
to dirty the beauty or purity of something — such as:- a pristine lake
- a reputation or good name
- something sacred
- a person's virginity
- Would not the people start up in their seats, by a simultaneous impulse, and tear him down out of the pulpit which he defiled?Chapter 11 -- The Interior of a Heart (69% in)
There are no more uses of "defile" in The Scarlet Letter.
Typical Usage
(best examples)