victory

[vik-tuh-ree, vik-tree]

noun

plural

victories 

1. a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.

   Antonyms: defeat

2. an engagement ending in such triumph.

   American victories in the Pacific were won at great cost.

   Antonyms: defeat

3. the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest.

   The new vaccine effected a victory over poliomyelitis.

   Antonyms: defeat

4. a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc..

   a moral victory.

5. (initial capital letter),  the ancient Roman goddess Victoria, often represented in statues or on coins as the personification of victory.

victory

¹

/ ˈvɪktərɪ /

noun

1. final and complete superiority in a war

2. a successful military engagement

3. a success attained in a contest or struggle or over an opponent, obstacle, or problem

4. the act of triumphing or state of having triumphed

Victory

²

/ ˈvɪktərɪ /

noun

1. another name (in English) for Victoria 3

2. another name (in English) for Nike

Other Word Forms

• victoryless adjective
• nonvictory noun
• supervictory noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of victory¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English victorie, from Latin victōria, equivalent to victōr-, stem of victor victor + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of victory¹

C14: from Old French victorie, from Latin victōria, from vincere to subdue

Idioms and Phrases

see pyrrhic victory.

Synonym Study

Victory, conquest, triumph refer to a successful outcome of a struggle. Victory suggests the decisive defeat of an opponent in a contest of any kind: victory in battle; a football victory. Conquest implies the taking over of control by the victor, and the obedience of the conquered: a war of conquest; the conquest of Peru. Triumph implies a particularly outstanding victory: the triumph of a righteous cause; the triumph of justice.

Example Sentences

In the second innings, Travis Head was promoted from number five and struck one of the all-time great Ashes hundreds to lead Australia to victory.

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Head, who usually comes in at five but opens in white-ball cricket, seized the opportunity with all guns blazing, slamming an incredible 123 from just 83 balls to drive Australia to victory.

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Beloved by fans for his gregarious nature and light-hearted approach, Zoeller was plunged into controversy in 1997 as 21-year-old rising star Woods was marching to a stunning victory in the Masters.

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Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love threw four touchdown passes -- including two on fourth down -- to lead the Packers to a 31-24 NFL victory over the Detroit Lions on Thursday.

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Former mineworkers in Nottinghamshire have claimed victory after the chancellor announced she will release their surplus pension fund money.

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Related Words

• achievement 
• advantage 
• defeat 
• gain 
• grand slam 
• hit 
• sweep 
• triumph 
• winning