Conquering

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Gaining command over an opponent or challenge typically entails the use of strategic or forceful means while establishing dominance or possession requires significant effort or conflict
2. Attaining supremacy over a rival or hurdle often involves tactical maneuvers or aggression, and monopolizing a territory or concept necessitates dedicated labor or strife
3. Achieving control over an adversary or obstacle often requires strategic planning and assertiveness while securing ownership of a region or idea demands sustained effort and struggle

Etymology: Conquering is a plain formation: the verb "conquer" with the suffix "-ing" attached, which turns the verb into a present participle or gerund. The "conquer" half comes from Latin "conquaerere," meaning to search out, seek together, or acquire, built from "com-" (together, thoroughly) and "quaerere" (to seek). Through Old French "conquerre," it entered English in the Middle Ages with the sense of winning by force. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the verb. "-ing" traces back through Old English "-ung" and "-ing" forms to Proto-Germanic roots, and it has been attaching to verbs in English for well over a thousand years. Its job here is simply to present the act of conquest as ongoing, which suits a word describing struggle that is still in progress.

Synonyms: defeating, overcoming, subduing, vanquishing, triumphing

Antonyms: surrendering, yielding, losing, failing, retreating