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

• conquer
• dominate
• overpower
• pacify
• subdue
• subject
• subjugate
• subordinate

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

Tensions between the duo led to West's replacement, Mitch Kupchak, deciding to trade O'Neal to the Miami Heat after L.A. was vanquished in five games by the Detroit Pistons in 2004. —Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025

On February 19th, Donald Trump logged onto Truth Social to congratulate himself on vanquishing congestion pricing in his home state. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025

But the soul of the Scorpion was not easily vanquished, proving the axiom that driving a slow car fast is better than driving a fast car slow. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2025

Identical twins Hal and Bill (both Theo James) have been cursed by the mysterious monkey toy since childhood; their father tried to vanquish it to no avail. —Barry Levitt, Vulture, 18 Apr. 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