Conquer

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒŋkə/

Definitions

1. To defeat and take control of a place or people through military force or determined effort
2. To gain dominance over a region or people through forceful strategy or relentless effort
3. To successfully defeat an opponent or seize control of a territory through force or skill

Etymology: The most striking thing about "conquer" is that its Latin ancestor did not mean conquering at all. Late Latin "conquaerere" meant "to knock, strike," and its wider sense was "to search for, procure." It is built from "con-," an intensifying prefix, and "quaerere," "to seek, acquire," so the core idea is seeking and gaining something thoroughly. The word reached English through Old French "conquerre," which had already narrowed toward winning by force. Middle English then adopted "conqueren," and by that stage the sense of overcoming an opponent and holding what was won had become dominant. English already had a native verb for this job, Old English "oferwinnan" ("to overwin"), which the French loan eventually displaced.

Synonyms: defeat, overcome, vanquish, subdue, master

Antonyms: surrender, yield, submit, fail, lose