1
2
3
as in to win
to achieve victory (as in a contest) a coach who demands that his team conquer, whatever the cost

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb conquer differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of conquer are defeat, overcome, overthrow, reduce, subdue, and vanquish. While all these words mean "to get the better of by force or strategy," conquer implies gaining mastery of.

Caesar conquered Gaul

How do defeat and vanquish relate to one another, in the sense of conquer?

Defeat does not imply the finality or completeness of vanquish which it otherwise equals.

the Confederates defeated the Union forces at Manassas

When would overcome be a good substitute for conquer?

The words overcome and conquer are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, overcome suggests getting the better of with difficulty or after hard struggle.

overcame a host of bureaucratic roadblocks

When can overthrow be used instead of conquer?

The meanings of overthrow and conquer largely overlap; however, overthrow stresses the bringing down or destruction of existing power.

violently overthrew the old regime

When is reduce a more appropriate choice than conquer?

Although the words reduce and conquer have much in common, reduce implies a forcing to capitulate or surrender.

the city was reduced after a month-long siege

Where would subdue be a reasonable alternative to conquer?

While the synonyms subdue and conquer are close in meaning, subdue implies a defeating and suppression.

subdued the native tribes after years of fighting

When is it sensible to use vanquish instead of conquer?

The synonyms vanquish and conquer are sometimes interchangeable, but vanquish implies a complete overpowering.

vanquished the enemy and ended the war

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conquer Netanyahu initially said Israel would conquer all of Gaza after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July. Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025 Shaquille O’Neal has dominated basketball courts, conquered television screens, and built an empire that spans everything from restaurants to real estate. Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 5 Sep. 2025 There’s the mission statement of the film, that love conquers all fear. Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025 Even after the company turned much of its attention towards other genres — conquering the planet with World of Warcraft — StarCraft 2 arrived in 2010 to critical and player acclaim. Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conquer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conquer
Verb
  • Faultlessly subdued bespoke tailoring, and his grosgrain lapel broadcasts a certain seniority.
    Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • By contrast, growth in Unilever’s Prestige beauty division was flat as the market remained subdued.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • How Wi-Fi HaLow Can Help Address These Needs To overcome connectivity gaps in large-scale environmental monitoring, some researchers and technologists are turning to Wi-Fi HaLow.
    Michael De Nil, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The movie adaptation is also rife with metaphors about boys becoming men and overcoming life-or-death circumstances to make it out the other side.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Razorbacks won the toss and will receive.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The founders of Ssense have won round one in their battle with their creditors, allowing the company to remain in the hands of chief executive officer Rami Atallah and his brothers Firas and Bassel, who are fighting to remain in business and restructure the company’s operations.
    Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Carr had been a game warden in Northern Rhodesia (as Zambia was then called), where hunting dominated.
    Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • While oversized leather bomber jackets and trench coats continue to dominate fall trend reports, more voluminous, blanketing silhouettes will surely gain momentum as temperatures begin to plummet.
    Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In 2023-24, Jones had a career year for the Mavericks, who were defeated by the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Some decisions are prudent, such as the Las Vegas Raiders to defeat the New England Patriots at a nice underdog price.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In the lion’s den, no less, at left leaning venues, hoping facts and common sense would prevail.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
  • But even in the very north of Sweden, there was not much chill factor to be found – well north of the Artic circle, temperatures above 30 degrees prevailed through July.
    Mattias Goldmann, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Richmond served as the functional center for the chattel slavery system in the United States, the capitol city of the Confederacy during the Civil War and was one of the many cities that subjected residents to redlining lending practices.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Today, the Court needlessly subjects countless more to these exact same indignities.
    Dan Gooding Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Operating at the Frontier If yesterday’s winners mastered the deal model, tomorrow’s winners will master integration, culture, and execution.
    Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Within the first two hours online, high-level fighting players had already seemingly mastered the game’s beginner-friendly systems and begun using the easily executable combos to dominate the scene, air juggling hapless newbies into oblivion.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Conquer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conquer. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on conquer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!