triumph

1 of 2

noun

tri·​umph ˈtrī-əm(p)f How to pronounce triumph (audio)
plural triumphs ˈtrī-əm(p)fs How to pronounce triumph (audio)
-əm(p)s
1
a
: a victory or conquest by or as if by military force
b
: a notable success
the party was a triumph
2
: the joy or exultation of victory or success
3
: a ceremony attending the entering of Rome by a general who had won a decisive victory over a foreign enemy compare ovation sense 1
triumphal adjective

triumph

2 of 2

verb

triumphed; triumphing; triumphs

intransitive verb

1
: to obtain victory : prevail
2
a
: to receive the honor of a triumph
b
: to celebrate victory or success boastfully or exultingly

Examples of triumph in a Sentence

Noun They earned a magnificent triumph over the invading army. They were able to achieve an important triumph against their chief rivals. Quitting smoking was a personal triumph for her. The party was a triumph. The bridge is an engineering triumph. They had a feeling of triumph after finishing the project. They stood atop the mountain in triumph. Verb His favorite team triumphed in the championship game. despite an accident early on, the runner persevered and ultimately triumphed
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) An intimate tragedy about the struggles and tiny triumphs of working-class American women, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is grounded by one of the strongest performances in any Scorsese project. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 While Robbie was also keen to acknowledge the sartorial triumphs of all who contributed to the promotional wardrobe, that desire was heightened when the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike began, abruptly cutting the tour short following a stop in London; trips to New York, Berlin and Tokyo were cancelled. Leah Faye Cooper, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 Only Monterey Trail — an 85-66 triumph — provided an opportunity to breathe comfortably. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 In April, Democrats flipped majority control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from conservatives, as their liberal candidate won an 11-point triumph. Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Mark Morton, the guitarist who co-founded the heavy-metal group Lamb of God three decades ago, will release a memoir this summer that looks back on the triumphs and tragedies of his life so far. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2024 The stories from fans that had been waiting generations for that moment fulfilled that triumph to another level. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 So that’s a tremendous triumph of theoretical understanding. Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 Thankfully, the triumphs of my successful ventures have significantly outweighed the shortcomings of the less successful ones. Steve Taplin, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
But in 2012, connectionism finally triumphed over other AI variants and a new flood of predictions about imminent AGI washed over the world. Gil Press, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 During the Cold War, anticommunism served as ideological glue between a democratic superpower and its autocratic allies, because the latter knew they were finished if the Soviet Union ever triumphed. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 This cycle of corruption, where personal interests triumph over public welfare, cannot persist. Tracy La, Orange County Register, 28 Jan. 2024 The Biggest Win Team USA has secured several significant victories at the Olympic Games, from clinching the inaugural women’s football gold medal at Atlanta in 1996 to triumphing over Japan at London 2012, following their World Cup loss the previous year. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024 Over the past two decades, the winner of the DGA award has nearly always also triumphed at the Oscars. Jake Coyle, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024 The spirit’s rise to prominence is intimately intertwined with that of Communist China and Chairman Mao. Allegedly drinking baijiu from Moutai helped his forces triumph over rival Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist army and turn the war at Chishui River, fought not far from the distillery. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune Europe, 8 Jan. 2024 The film triumphed in the second category honored, for special visual effects, to deafening applause and went on to win for costume design, makeup and hair and production design. Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024 The defending champion Chiefs are back after beating the Dolphins in a frigid home game, then triumphing in Buffalo and Baltimore. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'triumph.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English triumphe, from Old French, from Latin triumphus

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1508, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of triumph was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near triumph

Cite this Entry

“Triumph.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triumph. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

triumph

1 of 2 noun
tri·​umph ˈtrī-əm(p)f How to pronounce triumph (audio)
plural triumphs
1
: an ancient Roman ceremony honoring a victorious general
2
: the joy of victory or success
3
a
: a military victory or conquest
b
: any great success
a scientific triumph

triumph

2 of 2 verb
1
: to celebrate victory or success with much rejoicing
2
: to gain victory : win

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