win

verb

\ ˈwin

won\ ˈwən

\; winning

Definition of win

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to get possession of by effort or fortune

b : to obtain by work : earn striving to win a living from the sterile soil

2a : to gain in or as if in battle or contest won the championship

b : to be the victor in won the war

3a : 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

4a : 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

win

noun

Definition of win (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from win Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about win

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Synonyms & Antonyms for win

Synonyms: Verb

conquer, prevail, triumph

Synonyms: Noun

palm, triumph, victory

Antonyms: Verb

lose

Antonyms: Noun

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

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: Verb

In fact, Judy Garland was also nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in A Star Is Born — and won. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Lady Gaga Accidentally Pays Tribute to Judy Garland's 'A Star Is Born' Look at Golden Globes," 7 Jan. 2019 In the November midterm elections, several candidates for governor and congressional offices campaigned — and won — on their climate change bona fides. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Climate and energy news in 2018 actually wasn’t all bad," 1 Jan. 2019 Amazon’s initial promise of a new office and 50,000 high-paying jobs—since divided between the winning cities, New York and Crystal City, Virginia—created a media frenzy (ahem, hi) and an outpouring of quirky, attention-getting bids. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Amazon HQ2 bids: The weird ways cities wanted to woo Bezos," 27 Dec. 2018 Partch is a biochemist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who specializes in circadian rhythms, which is not only an actual research field, but one whose adherents won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "Why You Should Have Heart Surgery in the Afternoon," 26 Dec. 2018 Peele won the Oscar for best original screenplay—the first time the award has gone to a black recipient. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "All we want for Christmas is the first trailer for Jordan Peele’s Us," 25 Dec. 2018 Another group of organizers, including Vanessa Wruble, split off and formed another group, called March On, which aimed to focus on winning elections in red states. — Anna North, Vox, "The Women’s March changed the American left. Now anti-Semitism allegations threaten the group’s future.," 21 Dec. 2018 Still, every battle helps win the war against brassiness. — Jennifer Fernandez, House Beautiful, "Why Your Shower Is Wrecking Your Hair," 19 Dec. 2018 After a landmark year for women not only running for political office in the U.S., but also winning elections, this subject was more prescient than ever. — Faith Cummings, Glamour, "How Would the First Female U.S. President Dress? Just Look at TV.," 14 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Going into the new year, the only teams without a third-period comeback for a win in regulation were Carolina (0-13-2 when trailing after two) and Los Angeles (0-17-1). — Pat Graham, The Seattle Times, "Call it a comeback: No lead safe as late rallies on the rise," 2 Jan. 2019 There’s less of a precedent for wins, and even less for this specific type of battle between two enormous, established brands over the jackpot that is modern sneaker culture. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, Vox, "Can Vans really sue Target for a cheap look-alike of its most famous skater shoe?," 26 Dec. 2018 Here’s everything to know about the season 15 frontrunner, who’s competing against Chevel Shepherd, Kirk Jay, and Kennedy Holmes for the win. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "Everything to Know About 'The Voice' Finalist Chris Kroeze," 17 Dec. 2018 The first-time candidate beat Republican Manny Santos for the historic win. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "20 Big Firsts and Historic Wins from the 2018 Midterm Elections," 7 Nov. 2018 And those out of title contention were just going for the win. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "The Petit Le Mans: More proof we’re in a golden age for sportscar racing," 18 Oct. 2018 Mayfield rallied the Browns from a 14-0 deficit for a thrilling win, the team’s first since 2016. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "Here Come the Rookie Quarterbacks. What Took So Long?," 28 Sep. 2018 So naturally, as Pavlich goes for win number 10, the challenger is Shannon Bream. — Fox News, "New evidence of political bias at Google; gender politics at play in Michigan Senate race," 21 Sep. 2018 This Is Us fans, this is one of your best bets for a Pearson win. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "See If Your 2018 Emmy Predictions Match Up With the Projected Winners," 17 Sep. 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.

History and Etymology for win

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).

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