winning

1 of 2

noun

win·​ning ˈwi-niŋ 

1

: the act of one that wins : victory

2

: something won: such as

a

: a captured territory : conquest

b

: money won by success in a game or competition

—usually used in plural

winning

2 of 2

adjective

1

a

: of or relating to winning : that wins

the winning ticket

b

: successful especially in competition

a winning team

2

: tending to please or delight

a winning personality

winningly

ˈwi-niŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

Adjective

• adorable
• darling
• dear
• disarming
• endearing
• lovable
• loveable
• lovesome
• precious
• sweet
• winsome

Examples of winning in a Sentence

Adjective

She scored the winning goal.

They were a winning marketing team.

Chocolate and mint is a winning combination.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Riding a five-game winning streak, the rotation allowed only two total runs to begin the road trip while the pitching staff’s 32 consecutive scoreless innings streak, which ended in the ninth inning Friday, tied their road franchise record set in 1908 and was the longest overall since 1971. —Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2024

The supermodel competed in a few cutting horse events earlier this year, pocketing over $13,000 in winnings. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 July 2024

Adjective

Saturday’s titanic clash of the sport’s winningest program against the current dynasty featured the two longest-active winning streaks in the country. —Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2024

In total, the most winning months of over $100,000 were August and January. —Rachel Smith, The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing winning

• losing/winning record
• winning combination
• winning/losing streak
• winning post

Kids Definition

winning

1 of 2 noun

win·​ning

ˈwin-iŋ

1

: the act of one that wins : victory

2

: something won

especially : money won in a game or contest

—usually used in plural

winning

2 of 2 adjective

1

a

: of, relating to, or used for or in the act of winning

the winning ticket

b

: successful especially in competition

a winning team

2

: tending to please or delight

a winning personality

winningly adverb