vanquish

verb

van·quish ˈvaŋ-kwish

ˈvan-

vanquished; vanquishing; vanquishes

Synonyms of vanquish next

transitive verb

: to overcome in battle : subdue completely

: to defeat in a conflict or contest

: to gain mastery over (an emotion, passion, or temptation)

vanquish your fear

vanquishable

ˈvaŋ-kwi-shə-bəl

ˈvan-

adjective

vanquisher noun

Choose the Right Synonym for vanquish

conquer, vanquish, defeat, subdue, reduce, overcome, overthrow mean to get the better of by force or strategy.

conquer implies gaining mastery of.

Caesar conquered Gaul

vanquish implies a complete overpowering.

vanquished the enemy and ended the war

defeat does not imply the finality or completeness of vanquish which it otherwise equals.

the Confederates defeated the Union forces at Manassas

subdue implies a defeating and suppression.

subdued the native tribes after years of fighting

reduce implies a forcing to capitulate or surrender.

the city was reduced after a month-long siege

overcome suggests getting the better of with difficulty or after hard struggle.

overcame a host of bureaucratic roadblocks

overthrow stresses the bringing down or destruction of existing power.

violently overthrew the old regime

Examples of vanquish in a Sentence

They were vanquished in battle. vanquished nation after nation in his relentless conquest of Europe

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

And Trump vanquished the military and national security establishment that served him and came out against his reelection. —

Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2024 Visa is allegedly out to vanquish a rival or rivals? —

John Tamny, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 The musicians have all been vanquished by the establishment. —

David Browne, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2024 All the challengers had been vanquished long ago, in the primaries, and from that moment on this triumphant result was a cert. —

Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for vanquish

Word History

Etymology

Middle English venquishen, borrowed from Anglo-French venquis-, extended stem of veintre, vaincre "to defeat, conquer," going back to Latin vincere — more at victor

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of vanquish was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Vanquish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vanquish. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

vanquish

verb

van·quish ˈvaŋ-kwish

ˈvan-

: to defeat and subdue completely

vanquisher noun

Last Updated: 29 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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vanquish

verb

Synonyms

Examples of vanquish in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near vanquish

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition