Win

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /wɪn/

Definitions

1. To emerge as the victor in a contest or battle
2. To succeed in a competition or struggle by outperforming others ; to obtain an object, award, or result through effort or skill
3. To achieve first place or triumph in an event or challenge ; to acquire a prize, benefit, or advantage by merit or action

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "win" is that its oldest sense was not victory but suffering. Old English "winnan" meant to struggle, toil, or endure, and it could also mean to fight or to gain something by effort. The sense of coming out ahead in a contest grew out of that idea of striving hard to get something, so the modern meaning is a narrowing of one strand of the older verb rather than a sharp reversal. The verb has close relatives across the Germanic languages, including German "gewinnen", Dutch "winnen", and Swedish "vinna", all meaning to win. Gothic "winnan" is recorded with the sense "to suffer", which supports the idea that the original emphasis lay on effort and hardship. Beyond the Germanic family, the root has been linked to Latin "venus" (beauty, love) and Sanskrit "vanoti" (to desire, to gain), though these connections are older and less certain.

Synonyms: victory, triumph

Antonyms: lose, defeat