failure vs defeat

failure and defeat both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
failure	Yes	No	No	No
defeat	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, defeat is a hyponym of failure; that is, defeat is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than failure:

failure (noun)	defeat (noun)
an act that fails	an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
an unexpected omission	the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals
an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose
a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently
lack of success
loss of ability to function normally
inability to discharge all your debts as they come due

failure (verb)	defeat (verb)
	win a victory over
	thwart the passage of