triumph
Americannoun
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the act, fact, or condition of being victorious or triumphant; victory; conquest.
- Synonyms:
- success
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a significant success or noteworthy achievement; instance or occasion of victory.
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exultation resulting from victory; joy over success.
- Synonyms:
- celebration, jubilation
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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.
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a public pageant, spectacle, or the like.
verb (used without object)
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to gain a victory; be victorious; win.
- Synonyms:
- succeed
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to gain mastery; prevail.
to triumph over fear.
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to be successful; achieve success.
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to exult over victory; rejoice over success.
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to be elated or glad; rejoice proudly; glory.
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to celebrate a triumph, as a victorious Roman commander.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the feeling of exultation and happiness derived from a victory or major achievement
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the act or condition of being victorious; victory
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(in ancient Rome) a ritual procession to the Capitoline Hill held in honour of a victorious general
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obsolete a public display or celebration
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cards an obsolete word for trump 1
verb
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(often foll by over) to win a victory or control
to triumph over one's weaknesses
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to rejoice over a victory
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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.
Related Words
See victory.
Other Word Forms
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.
Following his Rome triumph, Sinner has now won 16 of the sport's 'big titles’ - which comprises of the four Grand Slams, nine Masters 1000s, the year-end Tour Finals and the Olympics.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
This latest triumph is simply part of the evolutionary process and the first step towards winning back-to-back World Cup titles.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
"NASA's commitment to advancing spaceflight computing is a triumph of technical achievement and collaboration."
From Science Daily • May 15, 2026
I don’t mean our traditional openness to foreign-born citizens, which is its own triumph, but our wide-openness to ourselves.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
“True triumph would be to move on and heal.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
