win

¹win

verb \ˈwin\

won \ˈwən\ win·ning

Definition of WIN

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 (as ore, coal, or clay) by mining

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

c : to recover (as 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

— win·less \ˈwin-ləs\ adjective

— win·na·ble \ˈwi-nə-bəl\ adjective

Examples of WIN

1. The boxer won the match by knockout.
2. He won't give up until he's won the argument.
3. Neither candidate won the debate.
4. We tried our best, but you can't win them all.
5. They played well, but they didn't win.
6. The chances of winning are 1 in 100,000.
7. It's not about winning or losing. It's about having fun.
8. She won a tennis trophy.
9. Her book won the Pulitzer Prize.
10. She won praise for her hard work.

Origin of WIN

Middle English winnen, from Old English winnan to struggle; akin to Old High German winnan to struggle and probably to Latin venus sexual desire, charm, Sanskrit vanas desire, vanoti he strives for

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to WIN

Synonyms

conquer, prevail, triumph, carry the day; kick butt

Antonyms

lose

Related Words

overcome, sweep; squeak, squeeze; contend, vie; succeed; breeze, romp

Near Antonyms

collapse, fail, flop, fold, wash out; flounder, struggle; decline, slip, slump, wane

Rhymes with WIN

bin, blin, chin, din, fin, Finn, Fyn, gin, grin, Gwyn, hin, in, inn, kin, linn, Lynn, pin, shin, Shin, sin, skin, spin, thin, tin, twin, whin, wynn, yin, zin

²win

noun

Definition of WIN

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

Examples of WIN

1. a pitcher with 15 wins
2. Their win over the first place team was unexpected.

First Known Use of WIN

1862

Related to WIN

Synonyms

palm, triumph, victory

Antonyms

beating, defeat, drubbing, licking, loss, overthrow, rout, shellacking, trimming, whipping

Related Words

capture, conquest, mastery, subjugation, vanquishing; blowout, landslide, laugher, romp, runaway, shutout, sweep, walkaway, walkover; squeaker; success; takeover

Near Antonyms

upset; collapse, debacle (also débâcle), disaster, failure, fizzle, flop, nonsuccess, washout; decline, slip, slump, wane; lurch, setback

Other General Sports Terms

kegler, mulligan, rappel, turkey