1
as in successes
a person or thing that is successful
the movie was panned by the critics but has been a winner at the box office
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in victors
one that defeats an enemy or opponent
the winner of any given war is usually the one who gets to write the history of that war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in champions
the person who comes in first in a competition
the other finalists graciously congratulated the winner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of winners
Filmmakers have used the Civil War as a setting for many decades now, inspiring stories of epic military battles, romantic melodramas, and even satires, from sweeping Best Picture winners like Gone With the Wind (1939) to revisionist Westerns like Django Unchained (2012).
—
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
There are no winners in wildfire; however, the Court's decision supports PacifiCorp's longstanding belief that this process was prejudicial and not appropriate for managing wildfire litigation.
—Alex Crippen, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2026
There have been two Mega Millions winners in 2026 so far; the latest winner from Ohio took home a $60 million jackpot, according to the Ohio lottery.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026
The school has produced three Heisman winners (Steve Spurrier, Tim Tebow, Danny Wuerffel), a runner-up (Rex Grossman) and a finalist (Kyle Trask).
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize.
—Staff Reports, The Providence Journal, 11 Apr. 2026
Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, Travis Sanheim and Nick Seeler also scored for the Flyers (40-27-12), winners of four of their last five games.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Byfield has three straight 20-goal seasons and both overtime winners against his hometown Maple Leafs this year.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
About the series This is the eighth in an occasional series on 2025 winners of the annual WaterSmart Landscape Contest, conducted in partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
There are no winners in wildfire; however, the Court's decision supports PacifiCorp's longstanding belief that this process was prejudicial and not appropriate for managing wildfire litigation.
—Alex Crippen, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2026
There have been two Mega Millions winners in 2026 so far; the latest winner from Ohio took home a $60 million jackpot, according to the Ohio lottery.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026
The school has produced three Heisman winners (Steve Spurrier, Tim Tebow, Danny Wuerffel), a runner-up (Rex Grossman) and a finalist (Kyle Trask).
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize.
—Staff Reports, The Providence Journal, 11 Apr. 2026
Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, Travis Sanheim and Nick Seeler also scored for the Flyers (40-27-12), winners of four of their last five games.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Byfield has three straight 20-goal seasons and both overtime winners against his hometown Maple Leafs this year.
—Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
About the series This is the eighth in an occasional series on 2025 winners of the annual WaterSmart Landscape Contest, conducted in partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winners
Noun
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Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who lost out in the Dodgers’ bidding in 2012, surrounded the Rams’ Inglewood stadium and Woodland Hills training site with major development and could consider replicating those successes in Anaheim.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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Your questions and comments as well as gardening conundrums and successes are always welcome.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Seems to me like yet another history written by the victors.—
Shanti Escalante-De Mattei,
ARTnews.com,
6 Apr. 2026
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And though Russia is playing only a tangential role in the crisis there, Moscow could emerge as one of the victors of war.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The semifinals also serve as individual finals, with the national champions being determined in the all-around and on all four events after the two semifinal sessions on Thursday.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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Steve Kerr compared the win to the Warriors’ heyday as champions, as Curry’s offensive brilliance, Green’s shutdown defense and some timely shooting from Al Horford took Golden State over the top.—
Pueng Vongs,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Imanaga tossed seven innings for the first time this season, limiting the Phillies to just three hits, including the home run, while walking one and striking out one batter.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
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Thematic ambition, a sense of the something to be expressed beyond a central romance, rivalry, or farce, propels modern musical hits too, as in Hairspray, or Wicked, or (no duh) Hamilton.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In America, deconstructing our national mythology and recasting early Puritan settlers as bloodthirsty conquerors helped zero American Indians.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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The giant Brân the Blessed’s head, which spoke for many years after it was severed, lies buried under a white hill, on top of which the Norman conquerors built a fort, known to later generations as the White Tower, or just the Tower of London.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Raptors wound up as NBA champs that season.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
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Murphy returned the favor by ribbing him by saying that every time Lee’s beloved New York Knicks lost their bid to become NBA champs, Lee was in the building.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The movie has become one of the defining blockbusters of the ’80s, in part because of its reliance on practical effects for flying scenes.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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Christmas movies in December, blockbusters rolling out over the summer, and Universal‘s perennial attempts to reboot its classic monsters.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Auriemma, Ralph named Coach of the Year finalists UConn coach Geno Auriemma was also named a finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year on Wednesday.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2026
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Miguel had brought Reina’s résumé to Nakia as one of two finalists, the other finalist being a guy who had done a year at Le Cordon Bleu.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winners. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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