| Title | conquer |
|---|---|
| Text |
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary con·quer ETYMOLOGY Middle English, to acquire, conquer, from Anglo-French conquerre, from Vulgar Latin *conquaerere, alteration of Latin conquirere to search for, collect, from com- + quaerere to ask, search DATE 14th century transitive verb 1. to gain or acquire by force of arms : subjugate conquer territory 2. to overcome by force of arms : vanquish conquered the enemy 3. to gain mastery over or win by overcoming obstacles or opposition conquered the mountain 4. to overcome by mental or moral power : surmount conquered her fear intransitive verb : to be victorious Synonyms. 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 English Etymology conquer c.1200, from O.Fr . conquerre, from V.L. *conquærere (for L.conquirere) "to search for, procure," from L. com- intensive prefix + quærere "to seek, acquire" (see query).http://O.Fr Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 conquer con·quer / 5kCNkE(r); NAmE 5kB:N- / verb[VN] 1. to take control of a country or city and its people by force 占领；攻克；征服: The Normans conquered England in 1066. 诺曼人于 1066 年征服了英格兰。 conquered peoples / races / territories 被征服的民族/种族；被占领的领土 2. to defeat sb, especially in a competition, race, etc. (尤指比赛、赛跑等中)击败,战胜: The world champion conquered yet another challenger last night. 昨晚这位世界冠军又战胜了一名挑战者。 The team members were greeted like conquering heroes. 队员像凯旋而归的英雄一样受到了人们的欢迎。 3. to succeed in dealing with or controlling sth (成功地)对付,克服,控制: The only way to conquer a fear is to face it. 克服恐惧的唯一方法是正视恐惧。 Mount Everest was conquered (= successfully climbed) in 1953. 珠穆朗玛峰于 1953 年被征服。 4. to become very popular or successful in a place 在(某地)很受欢迎；在(某地)成功: The band is now setting out to conquer the world. 这支乐队现在要出发去征服世界。 OLT conquer verb ⇨ invade (conquer a country)⇨ overcome (conquer your fear)⇨ succeed (conquer the US market) Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged con·quer \ˈkäŋkə(r) sometimes ˈkȯŋkə(r)\ verb (conquered ; conquered ; conquering \-k(ə)riŋ\ ; conquers) Etymology: Middle English conqueren, from Old French conquerre, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin conquaerere, alteration (influenced by Latin quaerere to ask, search) of Latin conquirere to search for, bring together, from com- + -quirere (from quaerere) transitive verb 1. obsolete : to procure by effort : acquire , get , gain 2. : to gain or acquire by force of arms : take possession of by violent means : gain dominion over : subjugate 3. : to overcome by force of arms : vanquish < if we be conquer'd let men conquer us — Shakespeare > 4. : to gain or win by overcoming obstacles or opposition : gain mastery over (as by exploration, penetration, or surmounting) < the mountain was conquered > 5. : to subdue or overcome by mental or moral power : surmount < conquer difficulties > < conquer her fear > intransitive verb : to gain the victory : make conquests : be victorious < resolved to conquer or to die > < hail the conquering hero > Synonyms: : defeat , vanquish , overcome , surmount , subdue , subjugate , reduce , overthrow , rout , beat , lick : these verbs are all of a kind in signifying to get the better of or bring to subjection. conquer and defeat are perhaps the most general. defeat usually signifies merely the fact of getting the better of or winning against < the enemy were successfully defeated > < he defeated the older man in the tennis tournament > < a distortion of the news picture which defeats the whole purpose to which our system is committed — F.L.Mott > conquer , however, usually implies a large and significant action as of a large force in war or an action involving an all-inclusive effort and a more or less permanent result < Caesar conquered most of Gaul > < culture conquers more surely than the sword — A.M.Young > < science has conquered yellow fever — American Guide Series: Louisiana > < the 21-year-old Englishman who conquered the most dangerous river in the world — New York Times Book Review > vanquish suggests a significant action of a certain dignity usually in the defeat of a person rather than a thing and usually carrying the suggestion of complete defeat < to overthrow the enemy solely by his own strength — to vanquish him solely by his own effort — Lafcadio Hearn > < to vanquish an opponent in a championship match at tennis > overcome usually implies an opposing, more or less fixed obstacle to be dealt with < to overcome the enemy's shore fortifications > < overcoming difficult legal obstacles — Americana Annual > < using the airlift to overcome the blockade — Collier's Year Book> < to overcome a speech defect > surmount , like overcome, implies an opposing, more or less fixed obstacle but carries the idea of surpassing or exceeding rather than overcoming in face-to-face conflict < the technical problems to be surmounted — K.F.Mather > < many petty faults which he is apparently unable to surmount — New Republic > < Simon … has an inner force that is capable of surmounting conditions — Malcolm Cowley > subdue , subjugate , and reduce all throw emphasis upon the condition of subjection resulting from defeat. subdue signifies to bring under control by or as if by overpowering < in 1803 Commodore Edward Preble subdued the Barbary Coast pirates — American Guide Series: Maine > < in their last century of conquest they almost succeeded in subduing the whole island — Paul Blanshard > < all violence or recklessness of feeling has been finally subdued— Willa Cather > < the wilderness had been almost completely subdued by cutting down the forests and building roads and cities > subjugate signifies to bring into and keep in subjection, often as a slave is in subjection < authoritarian reaction which overwhelmed Italy and subjugated it for two centuries — R.A.Hall b.1911 > < the heart and imagination subjugating the senses and understanding — Matthew Arnold > reduce signifies surrender and submission but usually of a town or fortress under attack or siege < the town and finally the province were reduced by the invaders > overthrow is much like overcome but carries the strong idea of disaster to the overthrown < to overthrow the established government by violence > < to get swiftly through the field of fire and pierce and overthrow the enemy lines — Tom Wintringham > < a huge body of evidence … completely overthrows the older view — Meanjin > rout always suggests a defeat so complete as to cause flight or the complete dispersion of the opposition < twelve hundred French and a large force of Indians … were intercepted … and utterly routed, only 200 of the French escaping capture or death — R.W.Bingham > < Weaver with the assistance of two other gunboats routed a large force of Texas cavalry when they attacked Fort Butler — L.H.Bolander > beat and lick are mainly characteristic of a different style of expression or level of usage than the preceding verbs. beat means the same as and is as comprehensive as defeat but usually applies to smaller, less significant actions than, say, conquer or vanquish < the local ball team won the state championship by beating all comers > lick , a more informal word for defeat , usually implies the complete humbling or humiliation of the person defeated < the fighter must be confirmed in the belief that he can lick anybody in the world — A.J.Liebling > < with the problem growing, the railroads have redoubled their efforts to lick it — William Faulkner > |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Conquest the act from dictionary noun middle latin
Previous card: Conoid adjective co·noid shaped noun etymology greek straight
Up to card list: English learning