to succeed by striving or effort: He applied for a scholarship and won.
to gain the victory; overcome an adversary: The home team won.
Slang. to be successful or competent and be acknowledged for it: My sister wins at getting the biggest bargains.Compare fail (def. 9).
verb (used with object),won,win·ning.
to succeed in reaching (a place, condition, etc.), especially by great effort: They won the shore through a violent storm.
to get by effort, as through labor, competition, or conquest: He won his post after years of striving.
to gain (a prize, fame, etc.).
to be successful in (a game, battle, etc.).
to make (one's way), as by effort or ability.
to attain or reach (a point, goal, etc.).
to gain (favor, love, consent, etc.), as by qualities or influence.
to gain the favor, regard, or adherence of.
to gain the consent or support of; persuade (often followed by over): The speech won them over to our side.
to persuade to marry; gain in marriage.
British Mining.
to obtain (ore, coal, etc.).
to prepare (a vein, bed, mine, etc.) for working, by means of shafts or the like.
noun
a victory, as in a game or horse race.
the position of the competitor who comes in first in a horse race, harness race, etc.Compare place (def. 27b), show (def. 27).
Slang.
a success, or something good: She was having a bad week, so she really needed a win.Compare fail (def. 14a).
the state or quality of being successful or good: There was so much win in last night’s episode!Compare fail (def. 14b).
adjective
Slang.
successful or competent.Compare fail (def. 19b).
very good or of high quality; awesome: To hear him play, now that was win!Compare fail (def. 19c).
interjection
Slang. (used to acknowledge success, competence, etc.): I just got tickets to the concert. Win!
Verb Phrases
win out,to win or succeed, especially over great odds; triumph: His finer nature finally won out.
Idioms for win
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!
Origin of win
1
First recorded before 900; Middle English winnen (verb), Old English winnan “to work, fight, bear”; cognate with German gewinnen, Old Norse vinna, Gothic winnan
Dragić and Herro kept them in it early, Jae Crowder just kept making threes, and then Jimmy Butler’s scoring and Bam’s block won it late.
Bam Adebayo Is Making Plays, Denver Is Making Us Look Bad, And The Lakers May Need To Make Some Adjustments|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
In other words, the Republican Party won on the atrocious Ballot Harvesting Scam.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court strikes Green Party presidential ticket from ballot, clearing the way for mail ballots to be sent out|Amy Gardner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
While Maddux won his fourth consecutive — and final — Cy Young Award in his age-29 season in 1995, Johnson won four straight Cy Young Awards from his age 35 to age 38 seasons.
Jacob DeGrom Just Keeps Throwing Faster|Travis Sawchik|September 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
In 2018, Maduro won a second term as president of Venezuela.
Does Anyone Really Know What Socialism Is? (Ep. 408 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|September 17, 2020|Freakonomics
The survey shows Graham and Harrison each winning the backing of 48 percent of likely voters in the state.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
Except the Braves did not win 14 straight pennants (they did win 14 straight division titles), and Smoltz is a also Republican.
Conservative Curt Says His Politics, Not His Pitching, Kept Him Out of the Hall of Fame|Ben Jacobs|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Her Miss America win transcended mere superficial beauty standards.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A Republican candidate hoping to win red state support could find a worse team to root for than one from Dallas.
Will Chris Christie Regret His Cowboy Hug?|Matt Lewis|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If history is a guide, Huckabee will need to resonate with more than just the faithful if he is to win.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She fails to appreciate the congressional and constitutional obstacles Johnson had to overcome to win passage of the bill.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It will win artists to a phase of the sublime in America which they have overlooked.
The Book of the National Parks|Robert Sterling Yard
I do not see how the Count D'Orsay can fail to win your heart.
Adle Dubois|Mrs. William T. Savage
This was encouraging and I endeavored to win the fair Maxine along those lines.
Nat Goodwin's Book|Nat C. Goodwin
He knew the power of constant attention, and the display of ardent passion, to win the female heart.
Tales And Novels, Volume 7 (of 10)|Maria Edgeworth
Keep up your courage, Bert, and you will be more likely to win success.
Five Hundred Dollars|Horatio Alger
British Dictionary definitions for win (1 of 2)
win1
/ (wɪn) /
verbwins, winningorwon
(intr)to achieve first place in a competition
(tr)to gain or receive (a prize, first place, etc) in a competition
(tr)to succeed in or gain (something) with an effortwe won recognition
win one's spurs
to achieve recognition in some field of endeavour
historyto be knighted
to gain victory or triumph in (a battle, argument, etc)
(tr)to earn or procure (a living, etc) by work
(tr)to take possession of, esp violently; capturethe Germans never won Leningrad
(when intr, foll by out, through, etc) to reach with difficulty (a desired condition or position) or become free, loose, etc, with effortthe boat won the shore; the boat won through to the shore
(tr)to turn someone into (a supporter, enemy, etc)you have just won an ally
(tr)to gain (the sympathy, loyalty, etc) of someone
(tr)to obtain (a woman, etc) in marriage
(tr)
to extract (ore, coal, etc) from a mine
to extract (metal or other minerals) from ore
to discover and make (a mineral deposit) accessible for mining
you can't wininformalan expression of resignation after an unsuccessful attempt to overcome difficulties
noun
informala success, victory, or triumph
profit; winnings
the act or fact of reaching the finishing line or post first
See also win out
Derived forms of win
winnable, adjective
Word Origin for win
Old English winnan; related to Old Norse vinna, German gewinnen
British Dictionary definitions for win (2 of 2)
win2
/ (wɪn) /
verbwins, winning, wonorwinned(tr)Irish, Scot and Northern Englishdialect
to dry (grain, hay, peat, etc) by exposure to sun and air