winner

winner — noun

1. A person, team, or animal that finishes first in a race, match, election, or any

1.nounA2
Definition

A person, team, or animal that finishes first in a race, match, election, or any event where people try to do better than each other.

Example

Yael was the winner of the school spelling bee after ten rounds of difficult words.

the winner of [competition]

The winner of the match lifted a silver cup and posed for photos on the field.

the winner of [competition] + past tense action

Common collocations
  • the winner of [event]
  • the clear winner
  • the overall winner
  • a worthy winner
  • be the winner
  • declare someone the winner
Synonyms
  • champion

    emphasises the title and status of having beaten all rivals; often used for tournament winners.

  • victor

    more formal and dramatic; common in historical or military contexts (the victor of the battle).

  • first-place finisher

    literal description of position in a race or ranking.

Antonyms
  • loser

    the person or team that is beaten.

Grammar Patterns

the winner of [a competition / race / game / election]

Usage Note

When specifying the event, use 'the winner of [a competition / race / election]'. In informal contexts, 'the winner' alone is enough if the context is clear.

Common Mistakes

He was the winner of the champion.
He was the winner of the championship (or the champion).
winner refers to the person; champion is the title they hold.

2. In a sports game, the final goal, point, or successful shot that gives one side

2.nounB1
Definition

In a sports game, the final goal, point, or successful shot that gives one side the lead and decides which side wins.

Example

With only one minute left on the clock, Mert fired the winner into the top corner.

fires / scores the winner

Gabriela's header in extra time was the winner that sent her team to the finals.

Common collocations
  • score the winner
  • hit the winner
  • fire the winner
  • the game winner
  • the winning goal
Synonyms
  • deciding goal

    the goal that decides the match; more explicit but less punchy.

  • game-winner

    North American term; common in basketball and hockey.

  • match point

    specific to tennis and volleyball; the point that ends the match.

Grammar Patterns

[player] scores / hits / fires the winner

Usage Note

Common in football (soccer), tennis, badminton, and hockey. Do not use for the final score of long-runner events like marathons — only for games where a specific scoring event (goal, point, shot) decides the outcome.

Common Mistakes

She was the winner of the match with a last-minute goal.' (ambiguous: could mean person).
Her last-minute goal was the winner of the match.
in this sense 'winner' is the goal or point, not the player.

3. A product, project, plan, or idea that does very well or is widely liked — for e

3.nounB1
Definition

A product, project, plan, or idea that does very well or is widely liked — for example, a new ice cream flavour that sells out in a week, or a proposal that everyone at work agrees on.

Example

The new bubble tea shop on campus turned out to be a real winner with students.

a real winner — informal for a very successful thing

Sade's design for the festival poster was a winner; the committee chose it in ten minutes.

Common collocations
  • a real winner
  • a clear winner
  • a proven winner
  • turn out to be a winner
  • prove a winner
Synonyms
  • hit

    especially for entertainment products (a hit movie, a hit song); suggests broad popularity.

  • success

    neutral and more formal; a success story.

  • smash hit

    informal and emphatic; used when something is hugely and quickly popular.

Antonyms
  • flop

    informal; a complete failure in terms of popularity or sales.

  • dud

    informal; something that fails to work or disappoints.

Grammar Patterns

a winner

turn out to be a winner

prove a winner

Usage Note

Informal register; common in casual conversation and business contexts. Often modified by adjectives like 'real', 'clear', or 'proven'. Distinguish from sense 1: the subject here is a thing or idea, not a person in a contest — and the 'winning' is popularity or market performance rather than beating opponents.

Common Mistakes

This idea is winner.
This idea is a winner.
needs the article 'a'.
Idioms

pick a winner

idiom

To choose something that turns out to be very successful, or to make a good decision about what to choose.

Andrei knew he had picked a winner when the stock he bought tripled in six months.

The company's new phone was a gamble, but the boss was right — she had picked a winner.

Word family

  • win
    verbA2
  • winning
    adjectiveB1
  • winnings
    noun (plural)B2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four describe the person who beats others in a contest, but the tone and scope differ. 'Winner' is the most general and neutral — it fits everything from a lottery draw to the Nobel Prize. 'Champion' carries the idea of a title and often of defending it across multiple events (a world champion, a defending champion); it also implies skill and status beyond one single win. 'Victor' is more dramatic and formal, common in war, historical battles, and sports commentary ('the victor emerged from the arena'). 'First-place finisher' is a literal description used when positioning is what matters, especially in races or rankings. So in everyday conversation, 'winner' is safest; 'champion' adds prestige; 'victor' adds drama; and 'first-place finisher' is purely factual.

winner ↗champion ↗victorfirst-place finisher

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the overall winner
  • the clear winner
  • a worthy winner
  • declare a winner
  • name the winner
  • prove a winner

Prepositions

  • winner of [event / prize]

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun 'winner' comes from the Old English 'winnan' meaning 'to work, strive, or fight'. In early English, 'win' meant 'to struggle' or 'to toil for' something. Over time the meaning shifted from the fight itself to the successful result of that fight — the person who comes out on top. The '-er' suffix, which marks the person who does an action, has been part of English since Old English times, giving us 'winner' as 'one who wins' by the 1300s.