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

Trump felt like he was being punished for vanquishing his opponent 108 days too early. —Brian Bennett, TIME, 11 Sep. 2024

Ike Barinholtz previously vanquished Wil Wheaton and Patton Oswalt to win over $1,000,000 for charity in the Celebrity Jeopardy tournament in 2023, and later advanced to the semifinals in Jeopardy: Tournament of Champions earlier this year. —EW.com, 15 Aug. 2024

In many of the stories about Hindu mythology, a Devi vanquishes an egotistical opponent. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2024

Zachary Basu Jul 15, 2024 - Politics & Policy Trump's extraordinary run sets up RNC for the ages MILWAUKEE — Less than 48 hours after surviving an assassination attempt, Donald Trump was gifted a legal ruling that vanquished the classified documents prosecution against him. —Sam Baker, Axios, 17 July 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