victory
noun
a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.
Jump To:
victory
American
[vik-tuh-ree, vik-tree]
/ ˈvɪk tə ri, ˈvɪk tri /
noun
-
victories
plural
-
a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.
- Antonyms:
- defeat
-
an engagement ending in such triumph.
American victories in the Pacific were won at great cost.
- Antonyms:
- defeat
-
the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest.
The new vaccine effected a victory over poliomyelitis.
- Antonyms:
- defeat
-
a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc..
a moral victory.
-
(initial capital letter) the ancient Roman goddess Victoria, often represented in statues or on coins as the personification of victory.
victory
1
British
/ ˈvɪktərɪ /
noun
-
final and complete superiority in a war
-
a successful military engagement
-
a success attained in a contest or struggle or over an opponent, obstacle, or problem
-
the act of triumphing or state of having triumphed
Victory
2
British
/ ˈvɪktərɪ /
noun
-
another name (in English) for Victoria 3
-
another name (in English) for Nike
victory
Idioms
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of victory
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English victorie, from Latin victōria, equivalent to victōr-, stem of victor victor + -ia -y 3
Explanation
A victory is a win. In sports or war, one side usually achieves victory. If you've ever won anything, you've achieved a victory: being successful in some kind of contest, sport, or battle. The winners of elections, football games, chess matches, debates, and scholarships all have won impressive victories. In war, there's victory too. People who overcome a disease such as cancer also consider that a victory. The opposite of victory is defeat.
Vocabulary lists containing victory
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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!
This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for February 6–12, 2021
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!
President Obama's second inaugural address
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:
Riding to victory with him was Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi's eldest son, who became Indonesia's vice president.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Biden reportedly called Cognetti this week to congratulate her on her victory.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
Thursday’s victory was Granada Hills’ 15th City crown and first since back-to-back titles in 2019-20.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
But she did speak to thousands of supporters and appeared to believe her victory was inevitable.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
He appeared to be in no hurry to join me, and instead spent the next five minutes mingling with the patrons, basking in the glow of his victory.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Victory at the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia was a sporting zenith in a career that includes being a businessman and a Celebrity MasterChef winner.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The complaint alleges that House of Victory, the university’s affiliated NIL collective, had yet to pay Baker-Mazara for the month of February, as is outlined in his NIL deal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
The payoff is a vanity project like no other, except maybe Saddam Hussein’s commissioned Victory Arch of swords in Baghdad, or Kim Il Sung’s North Korean Mansu Hill Grand Monument.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Victory on the hallowed Dublin turf would write one final fairytale chapter - a chance to bow out as undisputed light-welterweight champion and put the seal on a career that has revolutionised women's sport.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
It had been decades since a White House Victory Garden had been planted, on Eleanor Roosevelt’s watch, and no one seemed much interested in a reprise.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
While the damage is limited by state lines, their victories will inspire copycats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
The Dow registered its biggest daily gain since April 2025 as Wall Street appeared to welcome the Democrats’ sweeping midterm victories and a sharp drop in oil prices.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Her polls looked good up to Election Day, and on Tuesday night, victories across the country made her race in the Sunshine State look winnable.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
Friday’s win was the third in a Grade 1 race for Hughes, following victories in the American Pharoah at Santa Anita and the Del Mar Futurity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
I hadn't been around to witness the defeats, only his victories, while I ran behind on my little legs, trying to catch up, asking him to wait up as he sprinted off on his adventures.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
