The term 'BARELY DEFEAT' can be broken down into seven crossword solutions: NIP (3 letters), EDGE (4 letters), EKE (3 letters), EKES (4 letters), EKED (4 letters), BEATOUT (7 letters), EDGEOUT (7 letters), and NOSEOUT (7 letters). NIP means to barely win or succeed, EDGE is a thin line between two surfaces, EKE is to make something last longer, EKES is the plural form of EKE, EKED is the past tense of EKE, BEATOUT is to defeat someone or something, EDGEOUT is to barely defeat someone or something, and NOSEOUT is to barely win or succeed. All of these words are related to the term 'BARELY DEFEAT' in that they all refer to a situation where one person or thing narrowly wins over another.