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Synonyms

winner

American  
[win-er] / ˈwɪn ər /

noun

  • winners
    plural
  1. a person or thing that wins; victor.

    All three winners received plaques for their winning presentations.

    A yearling Teeswater sheep took the limelight yesterday when it was crowned the overall winner of the interbreed Wool on the Hoof competition.

  2. a person or thing that is marked by consistently or thoroughly excellent quality, performance, etc. (opposed to loser).

    This brownie recipe is a real winner—I’ve made it countless times and it always turns out beautifully.


idioms

  1. winner take(s) all. see winner take all

winner British  
/ ˈwɪnə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that wins

  2. informal a person or thing that seems sure to win or succeed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of winner

A Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at win 1, -er 1

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:

The most recent winner was Duncan Laurence whose song Arcade won the contest in 2019, going on to top charts globally.

From Barron's Aug. 24, 2026

The 29-year-old instead wants to fight the winner of the upcoming WBC title fight between holder Ryan Garcia and English challenger Conor Benn, or pursue another unification bout with Australia's IBF champion Liam Paro.

From BBC Aug. 23, 2026

He’d become an All-American at USC and Super Bowl winner with the Rams.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 23, 2026

At St James' Park last August, Ngumoha became the youngest goalscorer in Liverpool's history with a memorable 100th-minute winner.

From BBC Aug. 23, 2026

In what book, chapter, and verse can we read about a winner of a beauty contest becoming a queen?

From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor

This year’s men’s and women’s Open singles winners will each take home $5.5 million after organizers, responding to player appeals for a larger share of revenue, spiked the overall payout 20%.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 21, 2026

Even Oscar winners can point to something they’d fix in every scene.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 21, 2026

Recent cup winners Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt start their cup journeys against lower league opposition on Friday, while holders Bayern Munich play on September 2.

From Barron's Aug. 20, 2026

Rasgon said in a note to clients that the competition among chip makers should be focused on the size of the opportunity, rather than on winners and losers.

From MarketWatch Aug. 19, 2026

“The next award is given to the highest score in the onstage-interview competition. And surprisingly, we have a tie! The winners will each receive a fifty-dollar cash award sponsored by Bamberger’s.”

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

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