win

[[t]wɪ̱n[/t]]

♦

wins, winning, won

1) VERB If you win something such as a competition, battle, or argument, you defeat those people you are competing or fighting against, or you do better than everyone else involved.

[V n] He does not have any realistic chance of winning the election...

[V n] The NCAA basketball championship was won by North Carolina.

...when Napoleon was winning his great battles in Italy...

The top four teams all won...

[V amount] Sanchez Vicario won 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. [Also V n amount]

Syn:

victory

Ant:

defeat

N-COUNT

Win is also a noun.

...Arsenal's dismal league run of eight games without a win... The voters gave a narrow win to Vargas Llosa.

2) VERB If something wins you something such as an election, competition, battle, or argument, it causes you to defeat the people competing with you or fighting you, or to do better than everyone else involved.

[V n n] The Conservative Party will face the choice of who can best hope to win them the next general election against the present odds...

[V n n] Graham is more determined than ever to win the club its third Championship under his command.

Ant:

lose

3) VERB If you win something such as a prize or medal, you get it because you have defeated everyone else in something such as an election, competition, battle, or argument, or have done very well in it.

[V n] The first correct entry wins the prize...

[V n] She won bronze for Great Britain in the European Championships.

4) VERB If you win something that you want or need, you succeed in getting it.

[V n] ...moves to win the support of the poor...

[V n] British Aerospace has won an order worth 340 million dollars.

Syn:

gain

Ant:

lose

5) VERB If something wins you a prize or wins you something else that you want, it causes you to get it.

[V n n] The feat won them a prize of ₤85,000...

[V n n] Good weather leading to good grain harvests should win the country relief from food shortages.

Ant:

lose

6) → See also winning

7) PHRASE If you say that someone can't win in a particular situation, you mean that they are certain to fail or to suffer whatever they do. [INFORMAL]

If you're too assertive they regard you as an aggressive hysterical woman. I mean, you can't win!

8) CONVENTION You say `you win' when you have been having a slight argument with someone and you are indicating that you agree to do what they want or that you accept their suggestion, even though you do not really want to. [SPOKEN]

`All right', I said. `You win'.

9) lost the battle but won the war → see battle

to win the day → see day

to win hands down → see hand

Phrasal Verbs:

- win back

- win out

- win through

- win over

- win through

- win through to