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
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
David Wysong, The Enquirer, 26 July 2025
Today, women in NHRA have amassed an impressive resume, with more than 100 women having won at an NHRA national event and athletes like two-time Top Fuel champion Brittany Force paving the way as the fastest person in NHRA history, setting a national record of 3.62-seconds at 341.59-mph.
—Caroline Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
The club is just ahead of Vancouver in the standings and only has two wins on the season.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for win
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Who won Head of Household on 'Big Brother'? Who is on the block on 'Big Brother'?
—David Wysong, The Enquirer, 26 July 2025
Today, women in NHRA have amassed an impressive resume, with more than 100 women having won at an NHRA national event and athletes like two-time Top Fuel champion Brittany Force paving the way as the fastest person in NHRA history, setting a national record of 3.62-seconds at 341.59-mph.
—Caroline Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
Noun
However, the ex-champ has back-to-back wins heading into Saturday’s fight card.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
The club is just ahead of Vancouver in the standings and only has two wins on the season.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for win
Cite this Entry
“Win.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/win. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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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