victory

American  

[vik-tuh-ree, vik-tree] / ˈvɪk tə ri, ˈvɪk tri /

noun

plural

victories

1. a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.

   Antonyms:

   defeat

2. an engagement ending in such triumph.

   American victories in the Pacific were won at great cost.

   Antonyms:

   defeat

3. the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest.

   The new vaccine effected a victory over poliomyelitis.

   Antonyms:

   defeat

4. a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc..

   a moral victory.

5. (initial capital letter) the ancient Roman goddess Victoria, often represented in statues or on coins as the personification of victory.

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victory ¹ British  

/ ˈvɪktərɪ /

noun

1. final and complete superiority in a war

2. a successful military engagement

3. a success attained in a contest or struggle or over an opponent, obstacle, or problem

4. the act of triumphing or state of having triumphed

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Victory ² British  

/ ˈvɪktərɪ /

noun

1. another name (in English) for Victoria 3

2. another name (in English) for Nike

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victory Idioms  

1. see pyrrhic victory.

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Related Words

Victory, conquest, triumph refer to a successful outcome of a struggle. Victory suggests the decisive defeat of an opponent in a contest of any kind: victory in battle; a football victory. Conquest implies the taking over of control by the victor, and the obedience of the conquered: a war of conquest; the conquest of Peru. Triumph implies a particularly outstanding victory: the triumph of a righteous cause; the triumph of justice.

Other Word Forms

• nonvictory noun
• supervictory noun
• victoryless adjective

Etymology

Origin of victory

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English victorie, from Latin victōria, equivalent to victōr-, stem of victor victor + -ia -y ³

Explanation

A victory is a win. In sports or war, one side usually achieves victory. If you've ever won anything, you've achieved a victory: being successful in some kind of contest, sport, or battle. The winners of elections, football games, chess matches, debates, and scholarships all have won impressive victories. In war, there's victory too. People who overcome a disease such as cancer also consider that a victory. The opposite of victory is defeat.

Example Sentences

With each goal potentially proving crucial in a tense title race, City may view a victory with a solitary Erling Haaland goal as a missed opportunity to boost their goal difference.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Roughly 70% of trading volume is on candidates with less than a 1% chance of victory across the markets tied to the 2028 presidential election market, the upcoming World Cup, and the NBA championship.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Meanwhile, the Lakers have responded to the loss of Doncic so well that Times columnist Bill Plaschke declared “believe it, this series is already over” after their Game 2 victory Tuesday night.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Warsh briefly outlined his strategy to evaluating inflation, outlining an approach that could leave him room to argue for cuts without declaring victory on prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Chess Life proclaimed Bobby’s victory nothing short of “fantastic.”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• achievement
• advantage
• defeat
• gain
• grand slam
• hit
• sweep
• triumph
• winning