vanquish

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb vanquish differ from other similar words?

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

vanquished the enemy and ended the war

When could conquer be used to replace vanquish?

The words conquer and vanquish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conquer implies gaining mastery of.

Caesar conquered Gaul

How are the words defeat and vanquish related?

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

the Confederates defeated the Union forces at Manassas

Where would overcome be a reasonable alternative to vanquish?

The meanings of overcome and vanquish largely overlap; however, overcome suggests getting the better of with difficulty or after hard struggle.

overcame a host of bureaucratic roadblocks

When is overthrow a more appropriate choice than vanquish?

In some situations, the words overthrow and vanquish are roughly equivalent. However, overthrow stresses the bringing down or destruction of existing power.

violently overthrew the old regime

When is it sensible to use reduce instead of vanquish?

The words reduce and vanquish can be used in similar contexts, but reduce implies a forcing to capitulate or surrender.

the city was reduced after a month-long siege

When might subdue be a better fit than vanquish?

Although the words subdue and vanquish have much in common, subdue implies a defeating and suppression.

subdued the native tribes after years of fighting

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 vanquish The writer Zach Powers, one of Lockwood’s closest friends, pointed out to me that another aspect of contemporary illness writing is the narrative demand that the sick person vanquish the sickness, or achieve some sort of closure. Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 And the Royals are 5-1 so far on their 10-game homestand after vanquishing the White Sox and Washington Nationals. Kansas City Star, 17 Aug. 2025 Michelle Williams is vanquishing her fears Dying on camera isn't necessarily something new for Michelle Williams — her Dawson's Creek character, Jen Lindley, dies on the series finale from a heart condition, and her character was killed in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island. Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025 With the sorting barrier vanquished, the new algorithm’s runtime isn’t close to any fundamental limit that computer scientists know of. Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 6 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vanquish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vanquish
Verb
  • Critics panned Lyles’ subdued initial response and blamed the policies of Charlotte officials for failing to prevent the murder.
    Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Critically, American surveillance technologies allowed a brutal mass detention campaign in the far west region of Xinjiang — targeting, tracking and grading virtually the entire native Uyghur population to forcibly assimilate and subdue them.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Deftones’ History on the Streaming Ranking Deftones first conquered the Hard Rock Streaming Songs list just last month.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • 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
Verb
  • The division’s ‘Big Six’ dominated spending again, though that was hardly new.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
  • In the Chinese foldable phone category, Huawei dominates with a 75% share of the market, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
    Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Alderman Raymond Lopez, a Democrat from Chicago’s 15th Ward, wants Trump to send the National Guard to his city because of the violent crime to which people in his city are subjected.
    Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
  • If an investor who has not sold the IP expatriates for example, valuation of the interest will be included in determining the investor’s net worth and may subject the investor to unexpected taxes as a covered expatriate, for both income and estate tax purposes.
    Priya Prakash Royal Esq. LL.M. MBA AEP TEP, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Colleyville Heritage defeated Richland 30-21 in a game halted early in the third quarter after a second lightning delay Friday at Mustang-Panther Stadium.
    Jordan Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Dryden also represented his country several times, most notably helping Team Canada defeat the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series.
    Jesse Granger, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Outperforming some of them on the pitch is one thing, but Newcastle cannot yet overcome the off-field strength of the ‘Big Six’.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Part of the presentation focused on helping people overcome their fear of being ostracized for having plants seen as too wild.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Vanquish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vanquish. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on vanquish

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