victory
noun
a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.
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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
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for February 6–12, 2021
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President Obama's second inaugural address
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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:
But yesterday’s results, from El-Sayed’s narrow victory on down, don’t point in any single direction.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
He scored his first senior goal in Hibernian's 2-1 league victory at Celtic in February, and he has already been capped three times by Wales.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
In that sense, Hong is on the right side of just about everything, and that might be more than enough to carry her to victory.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
In short: Wilson snuck a 2,700-year-old poem through the gates of mainstream taste — and after that victory, her arrogance left her marooned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Battle of Manila lasted twenty-nine days, with a victory for the Philippine and US Forces declared on March 3, 1945.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
A large number of people and floats took part in the Christopher Street Day event, which passed through the city, before moving through Tiergarten park, past the Victory Column monument, and towards the Brandenberg Gate.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The $3-billion listing of Victory Giant, a supplier for AI chip giant Nvidia, puts it in fourth place globally for 2026.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Victory Giant’s earnings are estimated to increase at a 71% compound annual growth rate over 2026-2028, and it could disclose further capacity expansion plans in 2H, Citi analysts write in a recent note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Victory in Melbourne, a first in Australia for 15 years, provided a consolation of sorts.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
From the rumble of her chariot wheels, Leo guessed she was circling the perimeter of the field - Victory taking a victory lap.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
The states are teaming up to try to derail Paramount’s merger, and have snared preliminary victories — prompting a concession from Paramount to put the merger on hold until after the trial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
No voting method can always ensure that local victories produce local seats, national seat totals accurately reflect overall vote shares, and the size of parliament remains fixed.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
These days, officials point to small economic victories like attracting a Taco Bell and saving a furniture store.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
He’s eighth on baseball’s all-time managerial wins list with 2,183 as the only Black manager in baseball history with 2,000 victories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
But at this point, with only minor victories for the rebels, a cease-fire could only result in a return to our previous status.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
