win

verb \ ˈwin \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Examples: win in a Sentence

won play \ˈwən\; winning

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

1 : to gain the victory in a contest : succeed

2 : to succeed in arriving at a place or a state

—

winless

play \ˈwin-ləs\ adjective

—

winnable

play \ˈwi-nə-bəl\ adjective

See win defined for English-language learners

See win defined for kids

Examples of win in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of win from the Web

Nardello won the votes of 42 percent of the delegates at a local Democratic convention — far beyond the 15 percent minimum that is necessary to qualify for a primary.

— christopher keating, courant.com, "Judge Orders Former Rep. Vickie Nardello's Name Be Put On State Senate Primary Ballot After Paperwork Error," 11 July 2018
Luke Walton won a championship as an assistant coach with the Warriors a few years ago.

— alysha tsuji, For The Win, "Bill Walton called Luke from a Grateful Dead concert after LeBron chose Lakers," 11 July 2018
Aerie's depiction of women won praise from advocacy groups.

— andrea mandell, USA TODAY, "New Aerie models show off bras in wheelchairs, with insulin pumps as Twitter cheers," 11 July 2018
Next to Citronica housing and a stop along the San Diego Trolley line, the Promenade Park won an award in 2014 from the local chapter of the American Public Works Association.

— karen pearlman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Architecture students hope to freshen Lemon Grove park," 11 July 2018
The Grizzlies won 73-70 thanks to Jackson's defense and hustle in the final two minutes.

— j. michael, Indianapolis Star, "Jaren Jackson Jr. sits in middle of Grizzlies' efforts to rebuild grit-and-grind identity," 11 July 2018
College of Charleston won last season’s Colonial Athletic Association Tournament and has played in five NCAA Tournaments.

— chris hays, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Defending national champion Villanova, FSU headline Advocare Invitational at Disney," 11 July 2018
Johnson, it should be noted, won without opposition in 2016.

— bill torpy, ajc, "Torpy at Large: Something stinks in Brunswick, and it ain’t paper mills," 11 July 2018
Though 949 made history in the 18s, Balboa Bay won the 16 Open title on Saturday.

— matt szabo, latimes.com, "949 Volleyball Club makes history at Junior Nationals," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'win.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of win

Middle English winnen "to strive, struggle, obtain by exertion, earn with labor, gain, triumph," going back to Old English winnan "to labor, strive," going back to a Germanic verb base *wenu̯- (whence Old Saxon winnan "to struggle, suffer, acquire," Old High German, "to labor, struggle, rage," Old Norse vinna "to labor, suffer, gain," Gothic winnan "to suffer"); akin to Sanskrit vanoti "(s/he) demands, strives for, obtains," vanate "(s/he) shall obtain," Avestan vanaiti "(s/he) defeats"

Note: According to Rix, et al., Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben (Wiesbaden, 1998), Indo-European *u̯en-, the source of these verbs is distinct from *u̯enH-, the source of Sanskrit vanate "(s/he) likes, takes pleasure in," Latin venus "physical desire, qualities exciting desire, charm" (see venus).

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

win Synonyms

win

noun

: victory; especially : first place at the finish (as of a horse race)

See win defined for English-language learners

Examples of win in a Sentence

a pitcher with 15 wins
Their win over the first place team was unexpected.

Recent Examples of win from the Web

Competing on their home turf at the Deerfield Beach Middle School Athletic Complex, the Deerfield stars were focused and determined as Neile Thomas came on in relief and was able to stem the offensive tide of Fort Lauderdale to achieve the win.

— emmett hall, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deerfield Beach Little League Junior Division All-Stars ready for trip to Florida's capital," 12 July 2018
On Tuesday night, the Reds scored seven runs in the ninth inning for a comeback win against the Indians.

— the enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Check out the scorecard from last night's Reds vs. Indians game," 11 July 2018
The 31-year-old South African then reared back and served out the biggest win of his career.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Four Thoughts From Four Quarterfinals: Rafa-Djokovic to Meet, Federer Upset," 11 July 2018
Van Biezen sees a player with patience and commitment, even if the wait for win No.

— garrett johnson, Indianapolis Star, "A year after near-miss, Patrick Rodgers returns to John Deere Classic eyeing life-changing PGA Tour win," 11 July 2018
Right back Sime Vrsaljko limped off during the quarterfinal win over host Russia and goalkeeper Danijel Subasic had a hamstring injury during extra time but remained in the match.

— ronald blum, BostonGlobe.com, "England ready to change the tune of its soccer history," 11 July 2018
The player missed the win against Colombia, but got back in time to come onto the field in quarter-final victory against Sweden.

— karla adam, Washington Post, "Win or lose in the World Cup, England has a national hero in Coach Gareth Southgate," 11 July 2018
Despite the unintentional win, Ocasio-Cortez is unable to accept the nomination in a second district.

— natasha bach, Fortune, "New Democratic Superstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Just Won Another Primary—In a District She Didn't Even Run In," 11 July 2018
With the win, 949 became the first program to have players win four straight national titles from the 15 Open division to the 18 Open division.

— matt szabo, latimes.com, "949 Volleyball Club makes history at Junior Nationals," 11 July 2018

First Known Use of win

1862

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

win Synonyms

Synonyms

palm, triumph, victory;

Antonyms

beating, defeat, drubbing, licking, loss, overthrow, rout, shellacking, trimming, whipping;

Near Antonyms

upset;

collapse, debacle (also débâcle), disaster, failure, fizzle, flop, nonsuccess, washout;

decline, slip, slump, wane;

lurch, setback;

blowout, landslide, laugher, romp, runaway, shutout, sweep, walkaway, walkover;

squeaker;

success;

takeover;

Other General Sports Terms

kegler, mulligan, rappel, turkey

WIN Defined for English Language Learners

win

verb

: to achieve victory in a fight, contest, game, etc.
: to get (something, such as a prize) by achieving victory in a fight, contest, game, etc.
: to get (something) by effort