win

win — verb

1. to come first in a contest, game, or fight, or to receive a prize for doing so

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

to come first in a contest, game, or fight, or to receive a prize for doing so

Example

It took the team all season, but they finally won the championship trophy.

intransitive opening clause; transitive win + direct object

Bao won the hundred-metre race by less than half a second.

win + race (competition as object); prepositional phrase: by + margin

Common collocations
  • win a game
  • win a match
  • win a race
  • win a prize
  • win a competition
  • win an election
  • win a championship
  • win a medal
  • win a trophy
  • win a fight
  • win a battle
  • win by a narrow margin
  • win comfortably
  • win easily
  • win against the odds
Synonyms
  • beat

    takes the opponent as direct object; more direct than win

  • triumph

    formal or literary; used intransitively with over

  • conquer

    much stronger; suggests overcoming a difficult opponent or obstacle

Antonyms
  • lose

    the direct opposite in both transitive and intransitive uses

Grammar Patterns

win + (something)

win + someone + something

win (no object)

Usage Note

Often used intransitively in sports contexts. When naming the person or team you beat, use against or over after won: 'our team won against the defending champions'. Do not use win with a person as the direct object — use beat instead.

Common Mistakes

I won him in the chess game.
I beat him in the chess game.
win takes the game or contest as its object, not the opponent.
We won the competition against them easily.' (grammatical but wordy)
We beat them easily in the competition.
more natural phrasing with beat for the opponent.
She won to the race.
She won the race.
no preposition before the object.

2. to get something good from someone, such as their trust, support, or affection,

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to get something good from someone, such as their trust, support, or affection, by behaving in a way that deserves it

Example

Eshe won the trust of her colleagues by always keeping her promises.

win + trust of [someone]

The charity's hard work won them the support of local businesses.

win + indirect object + support of [group]

Common collocations
  • win support
  • win trust
  • win approval
  • win respect
  • win confidence
  • win loyalty
  • win affection
  • win admiration
  • win over
  • win back
  • win someone's heart
  • win someone over
  • win someone round
Synonyms
  • earn

    stronger implication of deserving through effort; more common for respect

  • gain

    broader; can be neutral without the 'deserving' nuance

  • secure

    more formal; suggests achieving something with certainty or finality

Antonyms
  • lose

    opposite when referring to trust, support, or respect

  • forfeit

    implies losing something through one's own actions

Grammar Patterns

win + (trust/support/respect)

win + someone + (trust/support/respect)

win + someone + over

win + (something) + back

Usage Note

Strictly transitive. Common objects are abstract: trust, support, respect, confidence, loyalty, admiration, approval, affection, heart. Use win back to mean regain something lost, and win over to mean persuade someone gradually. This sense is less common in casual speech than sense 1.

Common Mistakes

I won my boss by working late every day.
I won my boss's approval by working hard.
the object should be the abstract thing gained, not the person.
She won his heart by bought him gifts.
She won his heart by being kind and thoughtful.
after 'by', use a gerund (verb-ing).
We need to win the customers over our new service.
We need to win over the customers with our new service.
win over takes a person as object; use with to describe the method.
Phrasal verbs

win around

phrasal verb

To persuade someone to support or agree with you after they initially opposed you.

Mina's patience finally won around the skeptical committee members.

Can you win around your parents to let you study abroad?

win back

phrasal verb

To regain something that you had lost, such as support, love, or a position.

The company launched a campaign to win back lost customers.

After the argument, he tried to win back her trust with sincere apologies.

win out

phrasal verb

To finally succeed or prevail after a struggle or competition.

Despite many obstacles, justice will win out in the end.

Her determination won out over her fear of public speaking.

win over

phrasal verb

To persuade someone to agree with you or support you, especially after they were opposed.

The candidate's speech won over many undecided voters.

She won over her colleagues with her innovative ideas.

win round

phrasal verb

To persuade someone to change their opinion and support you.

It took hours, but we finally won round the board members.

Can you win round your father to our plan?

win through

phrasal verb

To succeed in reaching a goal after overcoming difficulties.

The team won through to the finals after a tough semifinal.

Despite the injury, she won through and completed the marathon.

Idioms

carry/win the day

idiom

To succeed or be victorious after a struggle or competition.

Despite the heavy rain, the team's hard work carried the day.

Her brilliant speech won the day at the debate competition.

win (something) hands down

idiom

To win something very easily, without much effort.

Maya won the race hands down, finishing ten seconds ahead.

Did Brian win the chess match hands down?

win somebody’s heart

idiom

To make someone fall in love with you or develop strong affection for you.

Diego won Sara's heart with his thoughtful gifts.

The puppy's playful antics won the whole family's heart.

win or lose

idiom

Regardless of whether you succeed or fail.

Win or lose, we will celebrate our effort tonight.

Win or lose, Aiden always plays with great sportsmanship.

win/earn your spurs

idiom

To prove your ability and gain recognition or success in a particular field.

The young chef earned his spurs by winning a national cooking contest.

She won her spurs as a journalist after covering the war zone.

you can’t win them all | you win some, you lose some

idiom

Used to comfort someone who has experienced a disappointment, meaning that not everything can be successful.

You can't win them all, but you did your best.

You win some, you lose some; don't let this loss upset you.

you, he, etc. can’t win

idiom

Used to say that a situation has no good outcome no matter what you do.

If I stay late, I'm tired; if I leave early, I'm lazy. I can't win.

He can't win: if he speaks up, he's rude; if he stays quiet, he's ignored.

you win

idiom

Used to give in and agree to someone's request after failing to persuade them otherwise.

You win, we can go to the beach instead of the park.

OK, you win. I'll let you borrow my car for the weekend.

win — noun

Word family

  • winner
    nounA1
  • winning
    adjectiveB1
  • winnings
    nounB2
  • unwinnable
    adjectiveC1
  • winless
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Win is the most general word for coming first in a contest, game, or fight. You win a race, a match, a prize, or an election. Beat is the direct alternative when you want to name the opponent: 'Our team beat the champions 3–1.' You cannot say 'win the champions' — win takes the event or prize as its object, while beat takes the person or team. Triumph (more formal or literary) is intransitive and takes over: 'The underdog triumphed over the favourite.' It always carries emotional weight and a sense of celebration. Conquer is much stronger — it suggests overcoming a large obstacle or enemy through great effort: 'She conquered her fear of public speaking.' Unlike win and beat, conquer can also be used figuratively for personal challenges and is rarely used for ordinary sports matches.

win ↗beat ↗triumph ↗conquer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Win comes from Old English winnan, meaning 'to work, labour, fight, or endure'. In early Germanic languages, the root carried a sense of 'striving' or 'struggling' — the victory was the reward of hard effort. Over time, the 'work' meaning faded, leaving the sense of 'overcoming an opponent or gaining something through success'. The noun form appeared later, around the 14th century, referring to the act or result of winning.