victor
1 Americannoun
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a person who has overcome or defeated an adversary; conqueror.
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a winner in any struggle or contest.
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a word used in communications to represent the letter V.
noun
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an ancient Roman epithet variously applied to Jupiter, Mars, and Hercules.
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Military. the NATO name for a class of high-speed, nuclear-powered submarines, designed to protect Soviet ships and to attack ballistic-missile submarines: first produced for the Soviet Navy in the 1960s; in service with the Russian Navy since 1992.
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a male given name.
noun
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a person, nation, etc, that has defeated an adversary in war, etc
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( as modifier )
the victor army
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the winner of any contest, conflict, or struggle
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of victor
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin, equivalent to vic-, past participle stem of vincere “to conquer” + -tor -tor
Explanation
The victor is the winner of a contest, usually one that requires physical skills or strength, like in battle or sports. Calling someone the victor implies that he or she triumphed in a difficult competition. The origin of the noun victor is in the Latin word vincere, meaning “conquer.” If you conquer your opponents, in a weekend-long chess showdown, the wrestling match, the beauty contest, the debate, or a 5K run, you are the victor. It means you won — victory is yours. Whenever an opponent is defeated, the winner is the victor.
Vocabulary lists containing victor
"O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "V"
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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:
The victor was well-supported, as he always is.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
If a contest does take place, then the victor will be announced on August 29 following a ballot of Labour members and affiliated unions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Two years later, state Sen. Laura Richardson waited 17 days to be announced victor of a hotly contested race in South Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
In a loser’s game, the victor wins because of the opponent’s unforced errors.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
"To the victor goes the spoils," he called out.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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"On the fuselage, everything is done manually, so every hole, every rivet you see on the fuselage is being done manually," Operations Director Victor Ocadiz told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The association honored Secret Service agent Victor Gonzalez, who was shot in his protective vest while confronting the gunman, along with Washington Hilton employees who helped guests during the attack.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
The economist Victor Matheson put it plainly: “The World Cup is making us happy. There’s not a lot of evidence it’s making us rich.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
New signing Victor Munoz did not play a minute for Spain at the tournament but has a winner's medal.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Victor noticed them because they were obviously in quite a hurry, and because one of the boys, clearly their leader, wore a mask that made him look like a bird of prey.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
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Because we all know what that means: In history written by the victors, the Luddites impeded technological progress, attempted to halt innovation, and were soundly defeated by the Industrial Revolution.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Montpellier did not just break Ulster's hearts but shattered them with a display of ruthless efficiency to win the competition for a third time, impressive 59-26 victors.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
It might seem like it would be more sensible for this ritual to take place after the game, for the victors to stage a triumphant, high-style parade and for everyone else to slink out, unnoticed.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
If the victors wrote the history, Eve MacDonald offers an important corrective in “Carthage.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
Where population densities are high, as in regions occupied by states or chiefdoms, the defeated still have nowhere to flee, but the victors now have two options for exploiting them while leaving them alive.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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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.