conqueror
noun
a person who conquers or vanquishes; victor.
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conqueror
American
[kong-ker-er]
/ ˈkɒŋ kər ər /
noun
conquerors
plural
Conqueror
British
/ ˈkɒŋkərə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of conqueror
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English conquerour, from Anglo-French; Old French conquereor, from conquer(re) “to conquer” ( see conquer) + -eor, from either Latin -or -or 1 or -ātor -ator
Explanation
A conqueror takes over a place by using military force. If you enjoy role-playing video games, you might like taking on the persona of a conqueror who battles evil orcs in order to rule their territory. Generally, conqueror is used to mean the winner of a war or the leader of a vanquishing army. You can also use it in a figurative way for someone who wins or defeats others in a game or sport: "My conqueror in the chess match was that tiny ten-year-old kid." The Latin root of both conqueror and conquer is conquirere, "to win or procure by effort."
Vocabulary lists containing conqueror
Chinese History - Introductory
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Chinese History - Middle School and High School
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"Why Women Always Take Advantage of Men"
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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:
Gilgamesh returns to his kingdom of Uruk not as a conqueror but as a witness: to loss, to limitation, to the fragile beauty of what cannot last.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Historically, Joan was a conqueror romantically also, not just Bob.
From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2024
Chris Hemsworth, in one of the most colorful and transformative performances of his career, plays the villain Dementus with the flair of a deranged Roman conqueror.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
Wilson, who faces Selby's conqueror Joe O'Connor next, said he stood a good chance of becoming world champion if he could maintain this form.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2024
Last came the conqueror himself, led by forty elephants holding torches to light his way.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
For Norton, who is also currently starring in BBC's historical drama King & Conqueror, to be compared to such successful shows is a positive.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
Fans might wonder how the “Fantastic Four” post-credits scene might have played out had the studio not altered its original plans to feature Kang the Conqueror as the franchise’s next big bad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2025
The 1000th anniversary of the birth of William the Conqueror is also in 2027.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2025
Majors had previously played villain Kang the Conqueror in the MCU.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025
And with that, High John the Conqueror soared into the sky on his giant crow, hooting and hollering as he cut through smoke and flame to confront the swarm of brand flies racing toward us.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
He even hailed Britain's role in colonizing North America -- a controversial subject given the atrocities against native people by waves of European conquerors who crossed the Atlantic.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
In the 7th Century, as Arab conquerors swept across North Africa, they brought with them their language and the Islamic religion.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026
HIRRI, Syria — Mohammad Khalawi explains the devastation of Syria’s Deir al-Zour province through the scars left by the many conquerors who passed through during 13 years of civil war.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025
Men who seize this opportunity are not conquered or conquerors.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2024
By 642, the armies of Muslim conquerors, along with the arguments of the Muslim faithful, took the religion all across Syria, Iraq, parts of Iran, and Egypt.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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.
