vanquish

verb

van·​quish ˈvaŋ-kwish  ˈvan- 

vanquished; vanquishing; vanquishes

transitive verb

1

: to overcome in battle : subdue completely

2

: to defeat in a conflict or contest

3

: to gain mastery over (an emotion, passion, or temptation)

vanquish your fear

vanquishable

ˈvaŋ-kwi-shə-bəl 

ˈvan-

adjective

vanquisher noun

Synonyms

• conquer
• dominate
• overpower
• pacify
• subdue
• subject
• subjugate
• subordinate

Choose the Right Synonym for vanquish

conquer, vanquish, defeat, subdue, reduce, overcome, overthrow mean to get the better of by force or strategy.

conquer implies gaining mastery of.

Caesar conquered Gaul

vanquish implies a complete overpowering.

vanquished the enemy and ended the war

defeat does not imply the finality or completeness of vanquish which it otherwise equals.

the Confederates defeated the Union forces at Manassas

subdue implies a defeating and suppression.

subdued the native tribes after years of fighting

reduce implies a forcing to capitulate or surrender.

the city was reduced after a month-long siege

overcome suggests getting the better of with difficulty or after hard struggle.

overcame a host of bureaucratic roadblocks

overthrow stresses the bringing down or destruction of existing power.

violently overthrew the old regime

Examples of vanquish in a Sentence

They were vanquished in battle.

vanquished nation after nation in his relentless conquest of Europe

Recent Examples on the Web

In June, the World Health Organization warned that far too few new antibiotics are in the global development pipeline, and the ones that are there fall far short of the innovation required to vanquish the most dangerous microbes. —Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024

The posts alleged world affairs were controlled by a vast conspiracy of Democrats – who also worshiped Satan and abused children – and that Trump was part of a secret plan to vanquish them. —Will Carless, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024

It has been accused by some critics of seeking to vanquish Indian Christians and Muslims in order to to establish a Hindu nation. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

When Pennywise resurfaces, targeting children once again, Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) calls the group back to honor their childhood pact to vanquish the creature for good. —Travis Bean, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English venquishen, borrowed from Anglo-French venquis-, extended stem of veintre, vaincre "to defeat, conquer," going back to Latin vincere — more at victor

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

vanquish

verb

van·​quish ˈvaŋ-kwish  ˈvan- 

: to defeat and subdue completely

vanquisher noun