won
ˈwən 
; winning
; winning
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
1
: to gain the victory in a contest : succeed
2
: to succeed in arriving at a place or a state
Synonyms
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
Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
With to the almost 2 million additional impressions, the song wins the weekly Greatest Gainer award on the Latin radio ranking for the largest increase in audience among its 50 titles.
—Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2024
Democrats unanimously backed the funding for Ukraine, enabling Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to win approval of the most contentious component of the package.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2024
The team up 2-0 has gone on to win, 348 times to 55, or 86.4 percent.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2024
The Hornets won nine district games, solidifying themselves as a top team in the area.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
Rankin — who studied drama at Juilliard, after winning a scholarship to the prestigious school — also has played several theater roles, including Ophelia opposite Oscar Isaac in a 2017 off-Broadway production of Hamlet.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
Handshake Speakeasy, located in Mexico City, has won this year’s top honor on the list of the 50 best bars in North America.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2024
The Warriors appear to have caught the winning bug at just the right time with their third straight victory, while the Kings and Lakers have both lost two on the bounce.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Jennifer McClellan, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
Bishop Montgomery 3, La Salle 2: The Knights picked up the Del Rey League win.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Ultimately, Petras remains pleased with the song's impact on her career — and for the Grammy win.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
On a cool, overcast Tuesday afternoon, the stars came out again, leading Poway to a come-from-behind 5-2 road win against rival Rancho Bernardo.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2024
The win propelled the band toward superstardom and helped jump-start Sweden’s music industry.
—Jill Lawless, Fortune Europe, 24 Apr. 2024
Hosey also picked up the win as a pitcher, allowing zero earned runs.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
This past Sunday, the Heat played the Indiana Pacers, and a win would have propelled Miami ahead of the Pacers in the standings, possibly allowing the team to avoid the play-in tournament.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
After just finishing a brutal stretch of five games in seven days, Friday’s wire-to-wire win allowed for the Heat to manage minutes throughout the roster.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Verb
The five-time Academy Award nominee won her Oscar in 2003, for her role as Virginia Woolf in Stephen Daldry’s The Hours.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
With to the almost 2 million additional impressions, the song wins the weekly Greatest Gainer award on the Latin radio ranking for the largest increase in audience among its 50 titles.
—Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2024
Democrats unanimously backed the funding for Ukraine, enabling Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to win approval of the most contentious component of the package.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2024
The team up 2-0 has gone on to win, 348 times to 55, or 86.4 percent.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2024
The Hornets won nine district games, solidifying themselves as a top team in the area.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
Rankin — who studied drama at Juilliard, after winning a scholarship to the prestigious school — also has played several theater roles, including Ophelia opposite Oscar Isaac in a 2017 off-Broadway production of Hamlet.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
Handshake Speakeasy, located in Mexico City, has won this year’s top honor on the list of the 50 best bars in North America.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2024
The Warriors appear to have caught the winning bug at just the right time with their third straight victory, while the Kings and Lakers have both lost two on the bounce.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Noun
In an especially memorable Season 2 episode, Charlie Day is reduced to tears as Wrexham secures a crucial win against Yeovil.
—Jennifer McClellan, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
Bishop Montgomery 3, La Salle 2: The Knights picked up the Del Rey League win.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Ultimately, Petras remains pleased with the song's impact on her career — and for the Grammy win.
—Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
On a cool, overcast Tuesday afternoon, the stars came out again, leading Poway to a come-from-behind 5-2 road win against rival Rancho Bernardo.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2024
The win propelled the band toward superstardom and helped jump-start Sweden’s music industry.
—Jill Lawless, Fortune Europe, 24 Apr. 2024
Hosey also picked up the win as a pitcher, allowing zero earned runs.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024
This past Sunday, the Heat played the Indiana Pacers, and a win would have propelled Miami ahead of the Pacers in the standings, possibly allowing the team to avoid the play-in tournament.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
After just finishing a brutal stretch of five games in seven days, Friday’s wire-to-wire win allowed for the Heat to manage minutes throughout the roster.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'win.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near win
Cite this Entry
“Win.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/win. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
win
1 of 2 verb
won
ˈwən
; winning
; 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
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