conquer

Verb
US[kong-ker]/ˈkɑŋkɚ/2 syllables

Open English WordNet

Verb (3)conquers, conquered, conquering

  1. bring under control by force or authority“suppress a nascent uprising”“stamp down on littering”“conquer one's desires”Synonyms: suppressstamp downsubdueMore general control, hold inMore specific hush, squelch, choke off, silence, quench, burke
  2. take possession of by force, as after an invasion“the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants”“The army seized the town”“The militia captured the castle”Synonyms: appropriatecaptureseizeMore general assume, usurpMore specific carry
  3. overcome by conquest“conquer your fears”“conquer a country”More general get the better of, overcome
Word of the day · Nov 4About this word
insipidadjective

What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz

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Translations

Verb defeat in combat

Spanish
conquistar
German
besiegen
Portuguese
conquistar
Turkish
fethetmek
Russian
завоева́ть zavojevátʹ
Chinese
征服 zhēngfú
Polish
podbijać
18 more languages
Greek
κατακτώ kataktó
Korean
정복하다 jeongbokhada
Vietnamese
chinh phục
Hungarian
hódít
Portuguese (PT)
conquistar
Chinese (Trad.)
征服 zhēngfú
Albanian
pushtoj
Catalan
conquistar
Czech
dobýt
Danish
erobre
Esperanto
konkeri
Finnish
voittaa
Hebrew
כָּבַשׁ kavásh
Icelandic
sigra
Norwegian
erobre
Romanian
cuceri
Scottish Gaelic
ceannsaich
Slovak
dobývať

Verb overcome abstract obstacle

Russian
побежда́ть pobeždátʹ
Chinese
克服 kèfú
Japanese
打ち勝つ uchikatsu
Korean
정복하다 jeongbokada
Vietnamese
chinh phục
Hungarian
legyőz
Chinese (Trad.)
克服 kèfú
Esperanto
venki
Finnish
voittaa
2 more languages
Hebrew
כָּבַשׁ kavásh
Scottish Gaelic
ceannsaich

The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.

Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Con′quer (kŏṉ′kẽr), transitive verb [past tense & past participle Conquered; present participle & verbal noun Conquering.]

Origin: OF. conquerre, F. conquérir, fr. L. conquirere, -quisitum, to seek or search for, to bring together, LL., to conquer; con- + quaerere to seek. See Quest.

1. To gain or acquire by force; to take possession of by violent means; to gain dominion over; to subdue by physical means; to reduce; to overcome by force of arms; to cause to yield; to vanquish. “If thou conquer Rome.” William Shakespeare

If we be conquer'd, let men conquer us.— William Shakespeare
We conquered France, but felt our captive's charms.— Alexander Pope

2. To subdue or overcome by mental or moral power; to surmount; as, to conquer difficulties, temptation, etc.

By winning words to conquer hearts, And make persuasion do the work of fear.— John Milton

3. To gain or obtain, overcoming obstacles in the way; to win; as, to conquer freedom; to conquer a peace.

Synonyms: To subdue; vanquish; overcome; overpower; overthrow; defeat; rout; discomfit; subjugate; reduce; humble; crush; surmount; subject; master. — To Conquer, Vanquish, Subdue, Subjugate, Overcome. These words agree in the general idea expressed by overcome, — that of bringing under one's power by the exertion of force. Conquer is wider and more general than vanquish, denoting usually a succession of conflicts. Vanquish is more individual, and refers usually to a single conflict. Thus, Alexander conquered Asia in a succession of battles, and vanquished Darius in one decisive engagement. Subdue implies a more gradual and continual pressure, but a surer and more final subjection. We speak of a nation as subdued when its spirit is at last broken, so that no further resistance is offered. Subjugate is to bring completely under the yoke of bondage. The ancient Gauls were never finally subdued by the Romans until they were completely subjugated. These words, when used figuratively, have correspondent meanings. We conquer our prejudices or aversions by a succesion of conflicts; but we sometimes vanquish our reluctance to duty by one decided effort: we endeavor to subdue our evil propensities by watchful and persevering exertions. Subjugate is more commonly taken in its primary meaning, and when used figuratively has generally a bad sense; as, his reason was completely subjugated to the sway of his passions.


Con′quer (kŏṉ′kẽr), intransitive verb

To gain the victory; to overcome; to prevail.

He went forth conquering and to conquer.— Rev. vi. 2.
The champions resolved to conquer or to die.— Edmund Waller

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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