triumph
Americannoun
-
triumphs
plural
-
the act, fact, or condition of being victorious or triumphant; victory; conquest.
- Synonyms:
- success
-
a significant success or noteworthy achievement; instance or occasion of victory.
-
exultation resulting from victory; joy over success.
- Synonyms:
- celebration, jubilation
-
Roman History. the ceremonial entrance into Rome of a victorious commander with his army, spoils of war, and captives, authorized by the senate in honor of an important military or naval victory.
-
a public pageant, spectacle, or the like.
verb (used without object)
-
triumphs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
triumphed,
past participle, past
-
triumphing
present participle
-
to gain a victory; be victorious; win.
- Synonyms:
- succeed
-
to gain mastery; prevail.
to triumph over fear.
-
to be successful; achieve success.
-
to exult over victory; rejoice over success.
-
to be elated or glad; rejoice proudly; glory.
-
to celebrate a triumph, as a victorious Roman commander.
verb (used with object)
-
triumphs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
triumphed,
past participle, past
-
triumphing
present participle
noun
-
the feeling of exultation and happiness derived from a victory or major achievement
-
the act or condition of being victorious; victory
-
(in ancient Rome) a ritual procession to the Capitoline Hill held in honour of a victorious general
-
obsolete a public display or celebration
-
cards an obsolete word for trump 1
verb
-
(often foll by over) to win a victory or control
to triumph over one's weaknesses
-
to rejoice over a victory
-
to celebrate a Roman triumph
Usage
What does triumph mean? To triumph is to win, succeed, or be victorious in an epic or spectacular way. Sometimes, it means to conquer. In this case, it’s often used with the word over. An army can triumph over enemy forces. In stories, good triumphs over evil. A person might be said to triumph over cancer. Triumph is especially used in situations in which victory or success has come after great difficulty, adversity, or sacrifice, or over an opponent considered difficult to defeat. Triumph is also commonly used as a noun meaning an especially significant or noteworthy victory or success, as in Their championship was a triumph—a win that places them among the all-time greats. A person’s moment of triumph is the moment when they finally achieve victory or success. Triumph can refer to the state of winning or being victorious, as in They returned to their hometown in triumph, entering to the cheers of the adoring crowd. Sometimes, triumph refers to the state of joy or celebration following a victory or success that is considered a triumph, as in A feeling of triumph filled her as she realized she had won the election. Triumph can also be used to refer to something that is a great achievement, as in Her latest novel is her greatest triumph—a masterpiece in every way. The adjective triumphant means experiencing, celebrating, or having achieved a triumph. The adjective triumphal means involving, relating to, or celebrating a triumph. Example: We will not rest until we reach our moment of triumph—when we finally triumph over the forces of evil.
Synonym Usage
See victory.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
triumphsimple
-
triumphssimple
-
have triumphedperfect
-
has triumphedperfect
-
am triumphingprogressive
-
are triumphingprogressive
-
is triumphingprogressive
-
have been triumphingperfect progressive
-
has been triumphingperfect progressive
Past
-
triumphedsimple
-
had triumphedperfect
-
was triumphingprogressive
-
were triumphingprogressive
-
had been triumphingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of triumph
First recorded before 900; Middle English triumphe (noun), Old English triumpha, from Latin triump(h)us, perhaps from Etruscan, from Greek thríambos “hymn to Dionysus”
Explanation
A triumph is a well-earned victory. It'll make you pump your fist and yell "Hurrah!" Triumph can be a noun or a verb, so you can have a triumph after the big game when you triumph over your opponents. Either way, it's a way to rejoice and a reason to whoop it up. The word comes from the Latin triumphus which is an "achievement, success, procession for a victorious general or admiral." The jury's still out on whether it comes from the Greek thriambos, as a "hymn to Dionysus," but it's fun to imagine that a triumph is a song to the Greek god of party animals. Fittingly, a Triumph is also the name of a motorcycle, a cool car, and a hard rockin' band from Canada.
Vocabulary lists containing triumph
Emotions on Display
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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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:
A gold medal at the 2025 world championships set the stage for her triumph at the Milano-Cortina Games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Ultimately, however, Attiah’s triumph over The Washington Post was not a First Amendment ruling.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
But in May, Mateta was the toast of south London after scoring the winner in Palace's Uefa Conference League triumph over Rayo Vallecano.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The JSerra Girls Flag Football team stretched its season-opening winning streak to eight straight games with a resounding 41-6 triumph over the Edison Chargers in a nonleague battle on Thursday at JSerra Catholic High School.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Biddy’s first triumph in her new office, was to solve a difficulty that had completely vanquished me.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
He playing a major role in the club's historic FA Cup and Conference League triumphs under former manager Oliver Glasner.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Davis’s public triumphs as a Heisman winner, All-American and the No. 1 pick in the 1962 National Football League draft stand beside Owens’s as proof that talent and character transcend bigotry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Organisers say it will "highlight the people who made the Games possible, the pride of the host city and the iconic sporting triumphs".
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
While Mexico has never won a World Cup, Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca has been the site of some of Argentina’s greatest soccer triumphs, notably its championship in the stirring 1986 World Cup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
But for all their triumphs, Zoya hadn’t been pleased.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
But despite that lack of résumé, Graham triumphed on Tuesday.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Two or three years after “talking pictures” were introduced to the general public in 1927, they had triumphed absolutely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
He triumphed by two shots, with Min Woo Lee the runner-up as crowd favourite Bob MacIntyre faltered in pursuit of a second home title, ending four adrift alongside Matt Fitzpatrick.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Mexico lost to England 3-2 in the World Cup Sunday night, yet thousands of Mexican Americans across Southern California took to the streets as if their team had triumphed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
We never triumphed; our strength of will faltered long before theirs.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
After helping the Blues win the Treble in 2023 then triumphing at the Euros with Spain a year later, an anterior cruciate ligament injury derailed Rodri's dominance somewhat.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
For Umphenour, the story of “The Odyssey’s” release and all of the 70mm fanfare is one of preservationists triumphing over countless obstacles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Knicks ended up triumphing 130-93, a victory that sent the team to the NBA finals for the first time in 27 years.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
This kind of narrowing of the acceptable realm of conversation may have briefly led to a feeling that once marginalized groups were triumphing.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2026
In the middle of the glade, on the chief tree, there hung an enormous copper basin, triumphing over the beaten shields.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
