conqueror

noun

con·​quer·​or ˈkäŋ-kər-ər 

plural conquerors

: one who conquers : one who wins a country in war, subdues or subjugates a people, or overcomes an adversary

The year 1570 brought yet another conqueror, the Ottoman Empire.

—Alan Weisman

In Cleopatra … the Roman conqueror met his equal, at least for proud independence and clear-eyed ruthlessness.

—Ingrid D. Rowland

William the Conqueror

Synonyms

• winner
• victor
• vanquisher

Examples of conqueror in a Sentence

hailed as conqueror of the barbarian forces

Recent Examples on the Web

However, he is ebuffed at every turn by his fellow chiefs, most notably Kamehameha I (Kaina Makua), who later becomes the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawai’i. —Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025

Many historians believe that modern chess originated from chaturanga, an ancient Indian board game that spread to the world via traders, pilgrims and conquerors. —Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 5 Aug. 2025

Others contend he was poisoned by his viceroy Antipater, while more modern conjectures propose the weary conqueror had picked up typhoid fever or meningitis or was done in by his over-use of the medicine hellebore, then prescribed as a purgative as well as for gout and signs of insanity. —John Mariani, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025

Roglic, having lost almost two minutes, and the race, rolled across the line looking broken, his helmet askew, but immediately sought out his conqueror. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 5 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above