win

1 of 2

verb

ˈwin 

won ˈwən  ; winning

transitive verb

1

a

: to get possession of by effort or fortune

b

: to obtain by work : earn

striving to win a living from the sterile soil

2

a

: to gain in or as if in battle or contest

won the championship

b

: to be the victor in

won the war

3

a

: to make friendly or favorable to oneself or to one's cause

—often used with over

won him over with persuasive arguments

b

: to induce to accept oneself in marriage

was unable to win the woman he loved

4

a

: to obtain (something, such as ore, coal, or clay) by mining

b

: to prepare (a vein or bed) for regular mining

c

: to recover (metal) from ore

5

: to reach by expenditure of effort

intransitive verb

1

: to gain the victory in a contest : succeed

2

: to succeed in arriving at a place or a state

winless

ˈwin-ləs 

adjective

winnable

ˈwi-nə-bəl 

adjective

win

2 of 2

noun

: victory

especially : first place at the finish (as of a horse race)

Synonyms

Verb

• conquer
• prevail
• triumph

Noun

• palm
• triumph
• victory

Examples of win in a Sentence

Verb

The boxer won the match by knockout.

He won't give up until he's won the argument.

Neither candidate won the debate.

We tried our best, but you can't win them all.

They played well, but they didn't win.

The chances of winning are 1 in 100,000.

It's not about winning or losing. It's about having fun.

She won a tennis trophy.

Her book won the Pulitzer Prize.

She won praise for her hard work.

Noun

a pitcher with 15 wins

Their win over the first place team was unexpected.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

His soaring rhetoric about a world free of nuclear weapons had helped win him the Nobel Peace Prize, and his views had bipartisan support. —Abe Streep, The New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2024

The disconnect was hurting their ability to win new business. —Rhea Wessel, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024

Noun

The Cardinals evened their record at 7-7 with the win, while the Patriots dropped to 3-11 with a fourth consecutive loss. —The Athletic Nfl Staff, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024

But Indiana is a reliably red state: On election night, the Associated Press called the big-ticket races for all Republicans, declaring wins for governor-elect Braun and President-elect Donald Trump within minutes of the state's last polls closing. —Holly V. Hays, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English winnen "to strive, struggle, obtain by exertion, earn with labor, gain, triumph," going back to Old English winnan "to labor, strive," going back to a Germanic verb base *wenu̯- (whence Old Saxon winnan "to struggle, suffer, acquire," Old High German, "to labor, struggle, rage," Old Norse vinna "to labor, suffer, gain," Gothic winnan "to suffer"); akin to Sanskrit vanoti "(s/he) demands, strives for, obtains," vanate "(s/he) shall obtain," Avestan vanaiti "(s/he) defeats"

Note: According to Rix, et al., Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben (Wiesbaden, 1998), Indo-European *u̯en-, the source of these verbs is distinct from *u̯enH-, the source of Sanskrit vanate "(s/he) likes, takes pleasure in," Latin venus "physical desire, qualities exciting desire, charm" (see venus).

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1862, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing win

• can't win
• no-win
• win/earn one's spurs
• win or lose
• win out
• win over
• win someone's heart
• win/steal/capture one's heart
• win the lottery
• win through
• win-win
• You can't win
• you win

Kids Definition

win

1 of 2 verb

ˈwin 

won ˈwən  ; winning

1

: to achieve victory in a contest

I always dream of winning

2

: to get especially by effort or fortune

won praise for my hard work

3

a

: to gain in or as if in battle or contest

won the championship

b

: to be the victor in

won the war

4

: to make friendly or favorable to oneself or one's cause

won the voters with her warm sense of humor

win

2 of 2 noun

: victory

especially : first place in a horse race