conquer Hear it!

conquer Definition

con·quer (käŋ′kər, kän′-)

transitive verb

  1. to get possession or control of by or as by winning a war
  2. to overcome by physical, mental, or moral force; get the better of; defeat

Etymology: ME conqueren < OFr conquerre < VL *conquaerere (for L conquirere), to search for, procure < L com-, intens. + quaerere, to seek, acquire

intransitive verb

to make conquests; win

conquer Related Forms
con′·quer·able adjective con′·queror noun
conquer Synonyms

conquer

v.

  1. To gain control over

    surmount, prevail over, capture, overcome; see succeed 1, win 1.

  2. To defeat

    subdue, overcome, vanquish; see defeat 2.

conquer implies gaining mastery over someone or something by physical, mental, or moral force to conquer bad habits; vanquish implies a thorough overpowering or frustrating, often in a single conflict or battle a vanquished army; to defeat is to win a victory over or get the better of, often only for the time being the defeated troops rallied and counterattacked; overcome implies the overpowering of an antagonist or the surmounting of difficulties; to subdue is to defeat so as to break the spirit of resistance; to subjugate is to bring under complete subjection; overthrow implies a victory in which a prevailing power is dislodged by force; to rout is to defeat so overwhelmingly that the enemy is put to disorderly flight

conquer Usage Examples

Object

  • Everest: Sir Edmund Hillary conquered Everest with the help of Kenyon's ropes - in 1953.
  • territory: In many games, the primary aim of warfare is to conquer new territories.
  • hero: He entered the town like a conquering hero, to the acclaim of the populace.
  • foe: This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.
  • tribe: Throughout his life in Medina, he was more than willing to conquer any tribe or city that stood in his way.
  • province: Edmund conquered the province, which in 946 he ceded to Malcolm I, King of Scots who agreed to become his vassal.

Subject

  • Roman: Although the city was conquered by the Romans in the 4th Century BC, it long retained its Greek culture.

Adjective complement

  • most: He eventually conquered most of his problems with speech but retained a stammer for the rest of his life.
  • evil: Her passing was much celebrated as a reminder of how good conquers evil.
  • northern: However, Charles was willing to do this in his attempt to conquer northern Italy.

Modifying Another Word

  • newly: Towns, given these privileges, in newly conquered areas helped to spread support for royal power.
  • forth: We read ( 6:2 ) " And he went forth conquering and to conquer.
  • finally: I really believe I have finally conquered this disorder.
  • all: Eventually dynamic couples came together, showing that love really can conquer all.
  • successfully: Amphibians were the first group of vertebrates to successfully conquer land almost 400 million years ago.
  • eventually: He eventually conquered most of his problems with speech but retained a stammer for the rest of his life.

Used with why or when

  • who: He will conquer who has learned the artifice of deviation.
  • what: Build military units to defend what's yours, and to conquer what 's not.

Preposition: of

  • country: Edward claimed to be the rightful king of France, and he conquered much of that country.

Preposition: by

  • Roman: Although the city was conquered by the Romans in the 4th Century BC, it long retained its Greek culture.
conquer Quotes

The Soviet Republic needs an army that will be able to fight and conquer.

—Trotsky, Leon originally Lev Davidovich Bronstein

You cannot conquer America.

—Pitt,William, 1st Earl of Chatham known as  the Elder

There is Jackson with his Virginians, standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer.

—Bee, Barnard Elliot

It was easier to conquer it than to know what to do with it.

—Walpole, Horace, 4th Earl of Orford

In hoc signo vinces. In this sign thou shalt conquer.

—Constantinus

The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves† The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army.Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance or abject submission.We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.

—Washington, BookerTaliaferro