Synonyms

conquer

American

[kong-ker] / ˈkɒŋ kər /

verb (used with object)

to acquire by force of arms; win in war.

to conquer a foreign land.
to overcome by force; subdue.

to conquer an enemy.

Synonyms:

subjugate, overthrow, overpower, vanquish
to gain, win, or obtain by effort, personal appeal, etc..

conquer the hearts of his audience.
to gain a victory over; surmount; master; overcome.

to conquer disease and poverty; to conquer one's fear.

verb (used without object)

to be victorious; make conquests; gain the victory.

Despite their differences, their love will conquer.

conquer British

/ ˈkɒŋkə /

verb

to overcome (an enemy, army, etc); defeat
to overcome (an obstacle, feeling, desire, etc); surmount
(tr) to gain possession or control of by or as if by force or war; win
(tr) to gain the love, sympathy, etc, of (someone) by seduction or force of personality

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

conquer Idioms

see divide and conquer.

Synonym Usage

See defeat.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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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:

conquer conquers conquered conquering

"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

If Chicken Run proved Aardman could conquer Hollywood, another character would go on to conquer the world.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Ossoff and Talarico have also done much to conquer one of the biggest obstacles when it comes to highlighting corruption: complexity.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

Rome’s ancient rulers were among the first and most frequent combatants to cross and recross the Rhine in their futile quest to conquer Germania.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

We must build bridges, conquer hate with love, and meet intolerance with a renewed commitment to education and open-mindedness.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

In a vindication of sorts at the end of the documentary, Hamatsu becomes a climber and conquers Mount Everest, a feat he dedicates to Fukushima.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2024

“Life always conquers death; the beauty of nature ultimately triumphs.”

From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 2024

However, if Buzzy has already begun to master the art of the Sorting Hat quiz, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before he conquers the rest of the SEO tentpoles.

From Slate ● Apr. 12, 2023

"It's also a message of hope that ultimately love conquers all."

From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2023

“Whoa, first of all, I never said anything about love. And second, what’s up with tragicT “Love conquers all,” Aphrodite promised.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

Since its arrival in the Americas centuries ago, Aedes aegypti has conquered the Southern states, swaths of the Midwest, and much of California, and has begun to advance up the East Coast.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

Having conquered the Commonwealth, Finucane was asked whether her attention will turn to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

But more of the country is to be conquered, with company executives saying they would focus a campaign on weekend brunch.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

The missile is named after the Battle of Khaybar, the 628 campaign in which the Prophet Muhammad’s forces conquered the fortified oasis of Khaybar, then held by Arabian Jews.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

“Whoa, whoa—long division? I think you’re getting ahead of yourself, ma’am. You still haven’t conquered your double-digit multiplying.”

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

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

Martin and Lewis became the monarchs of all media, conquering radio, nightclubs, television and the silver screen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

“The idea that he descends on Westminster like he is a conquering hero, it doesn’t have a logic,” said Philip Cowley, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

“Oh, no, no. You sit right there and entertain our conquering hero.”

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023