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• conquest
  conquest

  noun

  the act or state of conquering or the state of being conquered; vanquishment.
• Conquest
  Conquest

  noun

  See Norman Conquest

conquest

American  

[kon-kwest, kong-] / ˈkɒn kwɛst, ˈkɒŋ- /

noun

• conquests
  plural

1. the act or state of conquering or the state of being conquered; vanquishment.

   Synonyms:

   mastery, defeat, subjugation

   Antonyms:

   surrender

2. the winning of favor, affection, love, etc..

   the conquest of Antony by Cleopatra.

   Synonyms:

   enchantment, seduction

3. a person whose favor, affection, etc., has been won.

   He's another one of her conquests.

4. anything acquired by conquering, as a nation, a territory, or spoils.

5. the Conquest. Norman Conquest.

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conquest ¹ British  

/ ˈkɒnkwɛst, ˈkɒŋ- /

noun

1. the act or an instance of conquering or the state of having been conquered; victory

2. a person, thing, etc, that has been conquered or won

3. the act or art of gaining a person's compliance, love, etc, by seduction or force of personality

4. a person, whose compliance, love, etc, has been won over by seduction or force of personality

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Conquest ² British  

/ ˈkɒnkwɛst, ˈkɒŋ- /

noun

1. See Norman Conquest

2. the conquest by the United Kingdom of French North America, ending in 1763

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Synonym Usage

See victory.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reconquest
  noun
• self-conquest
  noun
• postconquest
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• conquests
  plural

Etymology

Origin of conquest

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English conqueste, from Anglo-French, Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin conquēsta (for Latin conquīsīta, feminine past participle of conquīrere ). See con-, quest

Explanation

Alexander the Great's famous conquest of the Persian Empire was an act of conquering. For Casanova, on the other hand, a conquest was an act of seduction. Conquest derives from the Vulgar Latin word conquaerere, meaning "to search for, procure by effort, or win." In addition to its most commonly used meanings — conquering and seduction — conquest has a third, less well-known meaning: a success in mastering something difficult, like the violin, for instance, or flying an airplane.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conquest Conquest conquests

Ellison on Friday said the newly combined company will be called Skydance, the name of the boutique film and TV production company he founded before his conquest of Paramount and Warner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

The conquest took place around 300 years before the events of “Game of Thrones” and is detailed in George R.R.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

It all reduces to the promise of small daily actions that, over time, build into the conquest of your wildest dreams.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

The 11th-century work, which depicts the Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror, arrived in London in July for a sell-out showcase that runs until July 2027.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

The knot in my chest eased as we fell into the familiar rhythm of discussing books and planning our conquest of ATO for later, but a nugget of discomfort stayed with me.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

The research arrives as the British Museum prepares to open a major exhibition featuring the Bayeux Tapestry, one of the best-known surviving artifacts connected with the Norman Conquest.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

The siege is the subject of Anthony Kaldellis’s “1453: The Conquest and Tragedy of Constantinople.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

The early medieval masterpiece, which tells the story of the events leading up to 1066 and the Norman Conquest, is being checked over by French and British conservators ahead of going on display in September.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

The artwork, which chronicles scenes from the 1066 Battle of Hastings and the start of the Norman Conquest of England, was held in a shock-proof and temperature controlled case to protect the delicate embroidery.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

If you thought that the departure of the Romans caused the British Isles to descend into mindless savagery that would not be reversed until the Norman Conquest in 1066, think again.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Dietrich was Hollywood’s greatest seductress, with conquests galore, male and female, but she was prouder of helping the war effort during World War II as a performer and war-bonds promoter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The Al-Bass site is centred on a necropolis that dates back three millennia to Tyre's time as a major Phoenician city and was still in use until the Arab conquests of the 7h Century.

From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026

But though these art objects carry the weight of centuries of defeats and conquests, they can’t alone engender a cultural identity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2024

From 1815 to 1914, London presided over an expanding global system marked by industry, capital exports and colonial conquests, all spurred by the integration of the planet via railroad, steamship, telegraph and radio.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2024

The conquests of Alexander in the late fourth century gave the Greeks firsthand experience of Persia, India, and the Asian kingdoms lying between.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

• annexation
• invasion
• occupation
• rout
• subjugation