victory
noun
a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.
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victory
American
[vik-tuh-ree, vik-tree]
/ ˈvɪk tə ri, ˈvɪk tri /
noun
-
victories
plural
-
a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.
- Antonyms:
- defeat
-
an engagement ending in such triumph.
American victories in the Pacific were won at great cost.
- Antonyms:
- defeat
-
the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest.
The new vaccine effected a victory over poliomyelitis.
- Antonyms:
- defeat
-
a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc..
a moral victory.
-
(initial capital letter) the ancient Roman goddess Victoria, often represented in statues or on coins as the personification of victory.
victory
1
British
/ ˈvɪktərɪ /
noun
-
final and complete superiority in a war
-
a successful military engagement
-
a success attained in a contest or struggle or over an opponent, obstacle, or problem
-
the act of triumphing or state of having triumphed
Victory
2
British
/ ˈvɪktərɪ /
noun
-
another name (in English) for Victoria 3
-
another name (in English) for Nike
victory
Idioms
Synonym Usage
Victory, conquest, triumph refer to a successful outcome of a struggle. Victory suggests the decisive defeat of an opponent in a contest of any kind: victory in battle; a football victory. Conquest implies the taking over of control by the victor, and the obedience of the conquered: a war of conquest; the conquest of Peru. Triumph implies a particularly outstanding victory: the triumph of a righteous cause; the triumph of justice.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of victory
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English victorie, from Latin victōria, equivalent to victōr-, stem of victor victor + -ia -y 3
Explanation
A victory is a win. In sports or war, one side usually achieves victory. If you've ever won anything, you've achieved a victory: being successful in some kind of contest, sport, or battle. The winners of elections, football games, chess matches, debates, and scholarships all have won impressive victories. In war, there's victory too. People who overcome a disease such as cancer also consider that a victory. The opposite of victory is defeat.
Vocabulary lists containing victory
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for February 6–12, 2021
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President Obama's second inaugural address
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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:
It was a major victory for the industry, and showcased Armstrong’s new status as a crypto power broker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Van had insisted that his first victory wasn’t solely due to Pantoja’s injury, while the Brazilian argued that the December result didn’t show who was truly the better fighter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
The only thing quarterback CJ Bailey had to do to close out the victory against Vanderbilt was fall down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Referee's body Pro Ref issued a formal apology to United within three hours of the end of Manchester City's 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
It says the people who won the battle don’t understand their victory as well as the person who lost the fight and is literally dying as he listens to his enemies celebrate.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
His NIL contract was then terminated by House of Victory, according to the lawsuit, on the basis of a “morals clause” in the agreement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
The complaint alleges that House of Victory, the university’s affiliated NIL collective, had yet to pay Baker-Mazara for the month of February, as is outlined in his NIL deal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Victory means he will now have the world number one ranking in his sights - he trails Sinner by 1,810 points with two Masters 1000 events and the season-ending ATP Tour finals to come.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Victory means Zverev is into his second US Open final after suffering a heartbreaking five-set loss to Dominic Thiem in 2020.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
‘Look, Miss Victory ...’ Percy tried for a smile.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Ruffy, from Brazil, has two consecutive victories in his most recent bouts, though he has won nine of his last 10 fights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
After the initial excitement - and victories - provided by Alonso's attacking football, Chelsea head into the international break with serious questions to answer.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Four victories in as many games has City sitting joint-top of the Premier League alongside Arsenal, and the early signs suggest those two sides will be the ones tussling for the title once more.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have for years maintained backchannels to celebrate victories and advise each other on the War on Terror.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
He held a grudge about as well as he held his liquor, and he had a gift for making Kaz’s victories sound like they belonged to everyone.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
