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
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conquering
present participle
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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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:
"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 fought tirelessly to get the sport sanctioned in Ireland and included in the Olympics, before going on to conquer both the amateur and professional codes.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 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
Regardless of the record-breaking deadline of Sept. 6, he’s adapting to a new “finish plan” and shared this truth for us all: “Together we will conquer this seemingly impossible task.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
What would Jordie say if his little brother lost their chance at justice because he couldn’t conquer some stupid sickness inside him?
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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
"It's also a message of hope that ultimately love conquers all."
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2023
The anniversary Masses are hopeful, Weiss said, with a theme that light conquers darkness.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 12, 2022
“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
Here’s how Dollar General and Mixue conquered the discount world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Soy conquered America not because Americans craved the bean, but because it was remarkably versatile.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
And I was wondering, actually, is the stage the last place that cannot be conquered by AI, and will not be replaced by AI?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was the last prince of an independent Wales before it was conquered by the English.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
To build a tower would be to follow Eiffel into territory he already had conquered for France.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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
“Compared to other people who were out there conquering, he was always incredibly caring and polite,” Michaels said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
It was the immutable tango between the Dumper and the Dumpee: the coming and the seeing and the conquering and the returning home.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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.
