vanquish
Americanverb (used with object)
-
vanquishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
vanquished,
past participle, past
-
vanquishing
present participle
verb
-
to defeat or overcome in a battle, contest, etc; conquer
-
to defeat or overcome in argument or debate
-
to conquer (an emotion)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
vanquishernoun
-
vanquishmentnoun
-
unvanquishableadjective
-
unvanquishedadjective
-
unvanquishingadjective
-
vanquishableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
vanquishsimple
-
vanquishessimple
-
have vanquishedperfect
-
has vanquishedperfect
-
am vanquishingprogressive
-
are vanquishingprogressive
-
is vanquishingprogressive
-
have been vanquishingperfect progressive
-
has been vanquishingperfect progressive
Past
-
vanquishedsimple
-
had vanquishedperfect
-
was vanquishingprogressive
-
were vanquishingprogressive
-
had been vanquishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of vanquish
1300–50; Middle English vencuschen, venquisshen < Old French vencus past participle and venquis past tense of veintre < Latin vincere to overcome
Explanation
To vanquish is to be the complete and total winner, to overpower and overcome, whether in a contest, a race, or a war. It generally suggests a total trouncing, to the point of humiliation — or worse — for the loser. Sometimes words for the same thing are effective in different ways because they offer different levels of meaning. For example, in a game, you can simply win, or you can vanquish your opponent. The former is enough, but the latter makes that defeat sound so much worse, like a total rout. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once stated, "Against war it may be said that it makes the victor stupid and the vanquished revengeful."
Vocabulary lists containing vanquish
Grade 10, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 19–24
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
They claim North Carolina, vanquish Collins, and spring upsets in Texas and Alaska.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
Warsh has vowed the Fed will vanquish inflation and meet its 2% goal, but Wall Street investors have grown more doubtful.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
There is a problem, though, and it comes from the unlikelihood that OpenAI or Anthropic will ever vanquish the other.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2026
The sleepy town of Hawkins is under quarantine as the show’s heroes search for a way to find and vanquish the baddie Vecna.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025
She could, if she wished, vanquish all this color.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
For instance, in one scene in the Depardieu film, Cyrano duels and vanquishes a vicomte who insults his nose.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2022
Think climatic movie scene in which a hero finally vanquishes the villain.
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2021
In the end, the BSC vanquishes the BSA by, essentially, tattling on them to the town’s parents.
From Slate ● Jul. 3, 2020
The verse in Crimp’s woos and vanquishes just as seductively, though the leaner verse couples of rap battles and poetry slams.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 13, 2020
No battle vanquishes the true, E'en thought of death is sweet To him whose soul would e'er subdue The scorpion-sting—deceit.
From Our Profession and Other Poems by Jared Barhite
The scariest part for Scheffler’s opponents is that his play over the past few weeks has hinted that his weakness has been vanquished.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Misinterpreting his ghostly prophecy—“Macbeth shall never vanquished be until / Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him”—the usurping Scottish king believed his reign was secure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
It was the Hufflepuff who, with the help of passengers, vanquished the dementor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The people of New York vanquished him with none of the spite he has spent decades sowing, but with grace, love, and pride in their city.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
She then folded herself up into that loaf shape peculiar to cats and regarded her vanquished foe with enormous feline satisfaction, her duty done.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
As the play opens he is returning to Rome as a lauded hero, having led the city’s forces in vanquishing the Goths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
However, once Hernán Cortés triumphed, the conquistadors went from waging war — vanquishing the Aztecs — to the project of subjugating Indigenous holdouts and building a self-sustaining territory loyal to the crown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
The work represents "the vanquishing of nuclear war through the historic treaty between the Soviet Union and the United States", according to the UN website.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
The combination of easing inflation and sturdy hiring and GDP growth has raised hopes the Fed can pull off a rare “soft landing” — vanquishing inflation without causing a recession.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
He fared better than his twin, vanquishing an elderly knight whose mount was bedecked with silver griffins against a striped blue-and-white field.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
