win

1 of 2

verb

won ˈwən How to pronounce win (audio) ; 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 adjective
winnable adjective

win

2 of 2

noun

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

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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The winning project is awarded $5,000 towards the development of the series. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023 Friday The Nighthawks have won 10 of 11 and put together a dominating 31-15 win over La Jolla in the Division 2 title game. Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2023 Staub 5-Quart Round Tall Cocotte Nordic Ware Sheet Pan This sheet pan has repeatedly won our tests and been crowned the best of its category. Tiffany Hopkins, Bon Appétit, 27 Nov. 2023 The home has won several architectural awards, including the 2018 Architecture Master Prize and the 2017 American Architecture Award. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 27 Nov. 2023 Vivek Ramaswamy: The political newcomer is spending like there’s no tomorrow in Iowa, buying meals for voters willing to hear him out — but not necessarily winning them over. Jazmine Ulloa, New York Times, 26 Nov. 2023 The winning couple would receive three bonus points added to their scores for the evening. Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023 The winning images from the third annual Natural Landscape Photography Awards were just announced. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 15 Nov. 2023 Far from a winning electoral formula, some predict that the reshuffle could fracture the coalition that delivered a landslide victory for the Conservative Party in 2019. Stephen Castle, New York Times, 14 Nov. 2023
Noun
Next up, on Friday, is UC San Diego team that doesn’t have a win against anyone in the Kenpom top 200 and lost to No. 356 Idaho. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Nov. 2023 But energy industry and right-leaning groups in the state praised the failure of the proposal to move forward as a win for consumers. Thomas Catenacci, Fox News, 28 Nov. 2023 Drafting the right financial pro for your team can make all the difference, turning complex plays into strategic wins for your startup. Bryce Welker, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 These provisions were added to the House version of the bill in amendment votes that were a win for House Freedom Conference members. Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 27 Nov. 2023 Quan’s route to winning his supporting actor Oscar for his performance included wins at the Golden Globes, the Independent Spirit Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards in addition to accolades from numerous media and critics groups. Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023 With the film, which turned 30 in August, Davis accomplished the rare feat of being both a commercial and critical success, culminating in seven Oscar nominations and one win for Tommy Lee Jones as best supporting actor. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Nov. 2023 Littrell, a running back on Oklahoma's 2000 national championship team, had a 44-44 record as head coach at North Texas, including a 44-17 win at Arkansas in 2018. Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 26 Nov. 2023 Selection committee chairman Boo Corrigan, the athletic director at North Carolina State, said Missouri’s big win last week against Tennessee helped bolster Georgia’s case for No. 1. Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'win.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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).

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of win was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near win

Cite this Entry

“Win.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/win. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

win

1 of 2 verb
won ˈwən How to pronounce win (audio) ; 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

More from Merriam-Webster on win

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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