conquer
Americanverb (used with object)
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conquers,
present (3rd person singular)
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conquered,
past participle, past
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conquering
present participle
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to acquire by force of arms; win in war.
to conquer a foreign land.
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to overcome by force; subdue.
to conquer an enemy.
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to gain, win, or obtain by effort, personal appeal, etc..
conquer the hearts of his audience.
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to gain a victory over; surmount; master; overcome.
to conquer disease and poverty; to conquer one's fear.
verb (used without object)
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conquers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conquered,
past participle, past
-
conquering
present participle
verb
-
to overcome (an enemy, army, etc); defeat
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to overcome (an obstacle, feeling, desire, etc); surmount
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(tr) to gain possession or control of by or as if by force or war; win
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(tr) to gain the love, sympathy, etc, of (someone) by seduction or force of personality
Synonym Usage
See defeat.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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conquerablenessnoun
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conquerornoun
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preconquerverb (used with object)
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reconquerverb (used with object)
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conquerableadjective
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conqueringadjective
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half-conqueredadjective
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unconquerableadjective
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unconqueredadjective
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conqueringlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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conquersimple
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conquerssimple
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have conqueredperfect
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has conqueredperfect
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am conqueringprogressive
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are conqueringprogressive
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is conqueringprogressive
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have been conqueringperfect progressive
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has been conqueringperfect progressive
Past
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conqueredsimple
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had conqueredperfect
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was conqueringprogressive
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were conqueringprogressive
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had been conqueringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of conquer
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English conqueren, from Anglo-French conquerir, Old French conquerre, from Vulgar Latin conquērere (unrecorded) “to acquire,” from Latin conquīrere “to seek out”; see con-, query
Explanation
To conquer is to defeat someone or something, usually with force, like army troops that conquer enemy territory, or your lunchtime hunger which you conquer with a sandwich and cup of soup. To correctly pronounce conquer, accent the first syllable: "CON-kur." It comes from the Old French word conquerre, meaning "defeat, vanquish." Use conquer to show you've gained control over something, like doing breathing exercises as the airplane takes off to help you conquer your fear of flying. You'll hear people say they've conquered Mount McKinley, or the Appalachian Trail. It means they've hiked and climbed the whole route, not declared the place theirs alone.
Vocabulary lists containing conquer
Beowulf vocabulary
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John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
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"Culture Clash"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Kane's career has not been without its obstacles but he remains as focused as ever to conquer whatever is placed in front of him by Bayern Munich and England.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
But there are ways to conquer your fears.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
The Targaryens are looking to conquer the summer box office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
"There's a sizeable market to conquer," said Versloot, who was brought in just over a year ago to turn around BIC's fortunes after years of depressed sales.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
She knew how to flirt, knew how to disarm someone with a compliment, and knew how to conquer that initial mountain of awkward that usually defeated him.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
J Brown said: "Never in our wildest dreams could me and the guys have imagined we'd share a stage again. It really does show that at the end of the day love conquers everything".
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025
Roan, dressed as a lordly knight, emerges from a castle and conquers it.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2025
“Life always conquers death; the beauty of nature ultimately triumphs.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 2024
Let’s say UW beats WSU and USC tops Notre Dame, then conquers either Oregon or Utah in the Pac-12 title game.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 21, 2022
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
You, the tiny David, have eclipsed the Goliath and conquered space!
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
If they tell me, you have to conquer this thing to be conquered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Soy conquered America not because Americans craved the bean, but because it was remarkably versatile.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was the last prince of an independent Wales before it was conquered by the English.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
If Eteocles was the victor, the Argive Army would withdraw; if Eteocles was conquered, Polyneices should be king.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
The company that began in Switzerland with a pair of scissors and some garden hose is now conquering America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Before the formation of Canada, the US had attempted to invade British North American colonies, taking control of Montreal in 1775 and nearly conquering Quebec City.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
The platform surged in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, conquering the global fast-fashion market by catering to young customers through social media.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
It was the late 1970s, when Dolly Rebecca Parton was well on her way to conquering the worlds of pop, Hollywood and business.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
The other was short and actually had gray hair already conquering the black on the sides of his head.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
