vanquish

verb

van·​quish ˈvaŋ-kwish  ˈvan- 

vanquished; vanquishing; vanquishes

transitive verb

1

: to overcome in battle : subdue completely

2

: to defeat in a conflict or contest

3

: to gain mastery over (an emotion, passion, or temptation)

vanquish your fear

vanquishable

ˈvaŋ-kwi-shə-bəl 

ˈvan-

adjective

vanquisher noun

Synonyms of vanquish

• subdue
• conquer
• dominate
• subject
• defeat
• overcome

Choose the Right Synonym for vanquish

conquer, vanquish, defeat, subdue, reduce, overcome, overthrow mean to get the better of by force or strategy.

conquer implies gaining mastery of.

Caesar conquered Gaul

vanquish implies a complete overpowering.

vanquished the enemy and ended the war

defeat does not imply the finality or completeness of vanquish which it otherwise equals.

the Confederates defeated the Union forces at Manassas

subdue implies a defeating and suppression.

subdued the native tribes after years of fighting

reduce implies a forcing to capitulate or surrender.

the city was reduced after a month-long siege

overcome suggests getting the better of with difficulty or after hard struggle.

overcame a host of bureaucratic roadblocks

overthrow stresses the bringing down or destruction of existing power.

violently overthrew the old regime

Examples of vanquish in a Sentence

They were vanquished in battle.

vanquished nation after nation in his relentless conquest of Europe

Recent Examples on the Web

That's because routine childhood vaccinations have largely vanquished many diseases, making vaccines one of medicine's greatest triumphs. —NPR, 7 Nov. 2025

Wu vanquished opponent Josh Kraft, son of billionaire Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, in the preliminary election, by such an overwhelming margin that he was forced to drop out. —Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 6 Nov. 2025

Banko, 43, won the Hofbräu nationals in 2015, one year after being vanquished by Hurta in a thrilling showdown. —Martin Fritz Huber, Outside, 6 Nov. 2025

The Pistons matchup represents the second straight game in a back-to-back slate of bouts for Cleveland, who vanquished the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, 118-113, despite a mammoth 40-point, 14-rebound, nine-assist night from two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. —Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English venquishen, borrowed from Anglo-French venquis-, extended stem of veintre, vaincre "to defeat, conquer," going back to Latin vincere — more at victor

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

vanquish

verb

van·​quish ˈvaŋ-kwish  ˈvan- 

: to defeat and subdue completely

vanquisher noun