win

¹

[ win ]

verb (used without object)

, won, win·ning.

1. to finish first in a race, contest, or the like:

   My story won in the short fiction category.

2. to gain the victory; overcome an adversary:

   The home team won.

3. to succeed by striving or effort:

   He applied for a scholarship and won.

4. Slang. to be successful or competent and be acknowledged for it: Compare fail ( def 9 ).

   My sister wins at finding the best bargains.

verb (used with object)

, won, win·ning.

1. to gain (a prize, fame, etc.):

   She won a million dollars in the lottery.

2. to be victorious or successful in (a game, race, battle, etc.):

   The Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series two years in a row.

3. to obtain or earn (a point or goal); score:

   You win 10 bonus points if you play all your cards in the same turn.

   Our team won two goals in the first five minutes!

4. to get by effort, as through labor, competition, or conquest:

   He won his post after years of striving.

   Synonyms: reach, procure, gain, achieve, acquire, secure, obtain, overcome, triumph, prevail, conquer

5. to gain (favor, love, consent, etc.), as by qualities or influence:

   You will win the kids’ respect if you take them seriously.

6. to gain the favor, regard, or adherence of:

   The candidate won younger voters with his proposal on tuition aid.

7. to gain the consent or support of; persuade (often followed by over ):

   The speech won them over to our side.

   Synonyms: sway, influence, induce, convince, bring around

8. to succeed in reaching (a place, condition, etc.), especially by great effort:

   They won the shore through a violent storm.

9. to persuade to marry; gain in marriage.
10. British Mining.
    1. to obtain (ore, coal, etc.).
    2. to prepare (a vein, bed, mine, etc.) for working, by means of shafts or the like.

noun

1. a victory, as in a game or horse race:

   The Flames have had only two wins in the whole season.

2. the position of the competitor who comes in first in a horse race, harness race, etc. Compare place ( def 27b ), show ( def 27 ).
3. Slang.
   1. a success, or something good: Compare fail ( def 14a ).

      She was having a bad week, so she really needed a win.

   2. the state or quality of being successful or good: Compare fail ( def 14b ).

      There was so much win in last night’s episode!

adjective

1. Slang.
   1. successful or competent: Compare fail ( def 19b ).

      She got accepted for publication on her first try—I call that a win person!

   2. very good or of high quality; awesome: Compare fail ( def 19c ).

      To hear him play, now that was win!

      Those movers we hired did such a win job with our stuff.

interjection

1. Slang. (used to acknowledge success, competence, etc.):

   I just got tickets to the concert. Win!

verb phrase

1. to win or succeed, especially over great odds; triumph:

   His better nature finally won out.

win

²

[ win ]

verb (used with object)

, Scot. and North England.

, winned, win·ning.

1. to dry (hay, wood, etc.) by exposure to air and sun.

win

¹

/ wɪn /

verb

1. intr to achieve first place in a competition
2. tr to gain or receive (a prize, first place, etc) in a competition
3. tr to succeed in or gain (something) with an effort

   we won recognition

4. win one's spurs
   1. to achieve recognition in some field of endeavour
   2. history to be knighted
5. to gain victory or triumph in (a battle, argument, etc)
6. tr to earn or procure (a living, etc) by work
7. tr to take possession of, esp violently; capture

   the Germans never won Leningrad

8. whenintr, foll by out, through, etc to reach with difficulty (a desired condition or position) or become free, loose, etc, with effort

   the boat won through to the shore

   the boat won the shore

9. tr to turn someone into (a supporter, enemy, etc)

   you have just won an ally

10. tr to gain (the sympathy, loyalty, etc) of someone
11. tr to obtain (a woman, etc) in marriage
12. tr
    1. to extract (ore, coal, etc) from a mine
    2. to extract (metal or other minerals) from ore
    3. to discover and make (a mineral deposit) accessible for mining
13. you can't win informal.
    an expression of resignation after an unsuccessful attempt to overcome difficulties

noun

1. informal.
   a success, victory, or triumph
2. profit; winnings
3. the act or fact of reaching the finishing line or post first

win

²

/ wɪn /

verb

1. to dry (grain, hay, peat, etc) by exposure to sun and air
2. a less common word for winnow

Derived Forms

• ˈwinnable, adjective

Other Words From

• win·na·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of win¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb winnen, win(ne) “to strive, exert effort,” Old English winnan “to labor, work, fight, bear”; cognate with German gewinnen, Old Norse vinna, Gothic winnan

Origin of win²

First recorded in 1550–60; etymology uncertain; perhaps variant of winnow

Word History and Origins

Origin of win¹

Old English winnan; related to Old Norse vinna, German gewinnen

Origin of win²

Old English, perhaps a variant of winnow

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. for the win, Slang. (used to express enthusiasm for someone or something that is very good, likely to succeed, etc.):

   A plant-based diet, for the win!

2. win one's way, to advance or succeed, as by ability or effort:

   The battalion won its way at great cost.

   Your original ideas have won their way in a field where it is difficult to say anything new.

3. win the internet. internet ( def 3 ).

More idioms and phrases containing win

• (win) hands down
• no-win situation
• slow but sure (steady wins the race)
• you can't win
• you can't win 'em all

Synonym Study

See gain ¹.

Example Sentences

Old Dominion won the award for vocal group of the year for a record seventh straight time, surpassing the six previous wins that belonged to Little Big Town.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’re either getting vital information,” he raps out in justification, “or we’re driving them to murder their own men. Either way we win.”

From Los Angeles Times

According to a source, The Wrap reported that they had told friends that they had fled the U.S. and have no plans to return because of President-elect Donald Trump's election win.

From Salon

He is the first Algerian to win the main Goncourt prize.

From BBC

A Springboks victory would mean Wales going the calendar year without winning a Test, which has not happened since 1937.

From BBC

Related Words

• accomplish
• catch
• earn
• gain
• get
• have
• make
• pick up
• reach
• receive
• score
• secure