conquer

[ kong-ker ]

verb (used with object)

1. to acquire by force of arms; win in war:

   to conquer a foreign land.

2. to overcome by force; subdue:

   to conquer an enemy.

   Synonyms: subjugate, overthrow, overpower, vanquish

3. to gain, win, or obtain by effort, personal appeal, etc.:

   conquer the hearts of his audience.

4. to gain a victory over; surmount; master; overcome:

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

verb (used without object)

1. to be victorious; make conquests; gain the victory:

   Despite their differences, their love will conquer.

conquer

/ ˈkɒŋkə /

verb

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

Derived Forms

• ˈconquering, adjective
• ˈconquerable, adjective
• ˈconqueror, noun
• ˈconquerableness, noun

Other Words From

• con·quer·a·ble adjective
• con·quer·a·ble·ness noun
• con·quer·ing·ly adverb
• half-con·quered adjective
• pre·con·quer verb (used with object)
• re·con·quer verb (used with object)
• un·con·quer·a·ble adjective
• un·con·quered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conquer¹

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”; con-, query

Word History and Origins

Origin of conquer¹

C13: from Old French conquerre, from Vulgar Latin conquērere (unattested) to obtain, from Latin conquīrere to search for, collect, from quaerere to seek

Idioms and Phrases

see divide and conquer .

Synonym Study

See defeat.

Example Sentences

Whoever sends more soldiers to a given castle conquers that castle and wins its victory points.

From FiveThirtyEight

To make the numbers, Tesla needs to conquer an additional one-fifth of the entire global luxury car market.

From Fortune

Many times, I’ve tried and failed to turn myself into one of those righteous dawn patrollers, who have conquered all of their demons and will inherit the Earth.

From Outside Online

Perhaps in Term Two the president can conquer the literal and figurative gridlock.

From Ozy

NFL wide receiver Chris Hogan has now conquered the AFC East after signing on Sunday with the New York Jets, completing a doable but pretty uncommon feat across sports.

From FiveThirtyEight

Do you feel like you can conquer anything on the film landscape after making these massive trilogies?

From The Daily Beast

"Give me a horse and a gun and an open plain, and we can conquer the world," he thundered before the assembled crowd.

From The Daily Beast

He also told the paper that journalist James Foley deserved to die and that they will one day conquer the Vatican.

From The Daily Beast

If you hold to it, you will conquer Rome and own the world, if Allah wills.

From The Daily Beast

Most recently, he has promised that followers who obey him “will conquer Rome and own the world.”

From The Daily Beast

To-day men of science are trying to conquer the horrors of cancer and smallpox, and rabies and consumption.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the spiritual way, whose method and secret lie in that subtle paradox: Yield to conquer.

From Project Gutenberg

Their standards had nothing in common; in the one honour could conquer ambition, in the other ambition knew no rules of honour.

From Project Gutenberg

Norman went slowly down, with failing knees, hardly able to conquer the shudder that came over him, as he passed those rooms.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus it was that he himself created the morale which enabled him again and again to conquer against overwhelming odds.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• crush
• overthrow
• quell
• rout
• subdue
• subjugate
• surmount
• vanquish