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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

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

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 artefact, almost 1,000 years old, is a 70m-long storyboard of embroidered pictures showing an epic account of the Norman conquest and the Battle of Hastings of 1066.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

The goals of American foreign policy tend to extend beyond the defense of territory, the conquest or defeat of others, or the gaining of political or economic advantage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 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 brothers produced the 1950s-style spy spoof "OSS 117" series and cult comedy "Brice de Nice", as well as a thriller based on former French president Nicolas Sarkozy's rise to power, "Conquest".

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

In it, Alexander reflected on England's relationship with the papacy before the Norman Conquest.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

It is the first time the artefact, which depicts events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and Norman Conquest of England in 1066, has returned to the UK in more than 900 years.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Now that would be a Conquest for college football fans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2025

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

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

At Lefty’s or Grumpy’s, swap powder conquests over a post-piste beer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025

After 1909, Secretary of State Philander Knox, one of the founders of the United States Steel Corporation, pursued a program of "dollar diplomacy" that promoted American power through overseas investments rather than territorial conquests.

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2025

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

Germs thus acquired ultimately from domestic animals played decisive roles in the European conquests of Native Americans, Australians, South Africans, and Pacific islanders.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• annexation
• invasion
• occupation
• rout
• subjugation