conquer
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
verb
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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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conquerableadjective
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conqueringadjective
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unconquerableadjective
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conqueringlyadverb
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reconquerverb (used with object)
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preconquerverb (used with object)
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conquerornoun
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conquerablenessnoun
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unconqueredadjective
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half-conqueredadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have conqueredperfect
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has conqueredperfect 3rd person singular
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am conqueringprogressive 1st person singular
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are conqueringprogressive
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have been conqueringperfect progressive
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has been conqueringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is conqueringprogressive 3rd person singular
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conqueringparticiple
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conquerssingular 3rd person
Past
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had conqueredperfect
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had been conqueringperfect progressive
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were conqueringprogressive plural
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was conqueringprogressive singular
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conqueredsimple
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conqueredparticiple
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.
Our tech overlords are planning for conscious AI to conquer the cosmos.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
For a woman who Hollywood exiles into the Nevada desert, only for her to build an empire and return to Los Angeles to conquer the industry, besting cancer should be a cinch.
From Salon • May 29, 2026
Over the past five years, that belief has helped the 70-year-old Kroenke conquer nearly all of the richest and most popular leagues in sports.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
Mali's Tuareg rebels told AFP Wednesday the country's ruling junta will fall and that they intend to conquer the north, just days after unprecedented large-scale attacks targeting the nation's military government.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
She saw Zeus sitting on Mount Ida watching the Trojans conquer, and she thought how she detested him.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
