What does "win" mean?
An individual victory.
Win
/wɪn/ name, noun, phrase, verb, slang
name, noun, phrase, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An individual victory.
- Grammar: win is listed as name, noun, phrase, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bring home the bacon, earn, accomplish, achieve.
- Useful contrasts: drawn match, be defeated, beating.
- Usage evidence: To win his audience, the speaker resorted to using rhetorical techniques he learned from his communication courses.
How to use "win"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "win" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "win" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "win" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "win" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "win" is acting as name, noun, phrase, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bring home the bacon" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "win", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An individual victory.
"Our first win of the season put us in high spirits."
- 2 Pleasure; joy; delight. Scotland
- 3 A Winchester firearm. colloquial
"Pre-64 Win has a heritage that can't be beat. For me, it's Rems for prarie dogs and paper, Wins (or 1917 Enfields) for stuff that wants to stomp you into a greasy spot on the tundra."
- 4 a victory (as in a race or other competition) wordnet
- 5 A feat carried out successfully; a victorious achievement. slang
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Alternative form of wynn. alt-of, alternative
- 7 something won (especially money) wordnet
- 8 Gain; profit; income. obsolete
- 9 Wealth; goods owned. obsolete
Verb
- 1 To conquer, defeat. obsolete, transitive
"For and we doo bataille we two wyl fyghte with one knyȝt at ones and therfore yf ye wille fyghte ſoo we wille be redy at what houre ye wille aſſigne And yf ye wynne vs in bataille the lady ſhal haue her landes ageyne ye ſay wel ſayd ſir Vwayne therfor make yow redy ſo that ye be here to morne in the defence of the ladyes ryght"
- 2 To dry by exposure to the wind. Scotland, transitive
- 3 be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious wordnet
- 4 To reach some destination or object, despite difficulty or toil (now usually intransitive, with preposition or locative adverb). intransitive, transitive
"I well may gang out, love, but I'll never win home."
- 5 obtain advantages, such as points, etc. wordnet
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 To triumph or achieve victory in (a game, a war, etc.). transitive
- 7 win something through one's efforts wordnet
- 8 To gain (a prize) by succeeding in competition or contest. transitive
"to win the jackpot in a lottery; to win a bottle of wine in a raffle"
- 9 acquire or deserve by one's efforts or actions wordnet
- 10 To obtain (someone) by wooing; to make an ally or friend of (frequently with over). transitive
"Thy virtue won me; with virtue preserve me."
- 11 attain success or reach a desired goal wordnet
- 12 To achieve victory. intransitive
"Who would win in a fight between an octopus and a dolphin?"
- 13 To have power, coercion or control. intransitive
"Ever since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Bostonians now run as "One Boston." The terrorists did not win."
- 14 To obtain (something desired). transitive
"The company hopes to win an order from the government worth over 5 million dollars."
- 15 To cause a victory for someone. transitive
"The success of the economic policies should win Mr. Smith the next elections."
- 16 To extract (ore, coal, etc.). transitive
- 17 To defeat or surpass someone or something. informal, transitive
- 18 To take priority. informal, intransitive
"If the local filters conflict with the global filters, the global filters always win."
Phrase
- 1 Initialism of whip inflation now: a 1974 US political slogan. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Proper Noun
- 1 Windows, an operating system family developed by Microsoft.
- 2 A diminutive of the female given name Winifred.
- 3 A diminutive of the male given name Winston.
"Winston Piper didn't look right to her in what she thought of as Flaherty's office. […] “My friends call me Win,” he said. “No need for formality.” ¶ “Sure, Win.” He's hinting."
- 4 A surname.
- 5 Clipping of Windows key. abbreviation, alt-of, broadly, clipping
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"To win his audience, the speaker resorted to using rhetorical techniques he learned from his communication courses."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "win"?
Common synonyms include: bring home the bacon, earn, accomplish, achieve, achieve, achievement.
How do you use "win" in a sentence?
To win his audience, the speaker resorted to using rhetorical techniques he learned from his communication courses.
How do you pronounce "win"?
Pronounced /wɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English winnen, from Old English winnan (“to labour, swink, toil,”) (compare Old English ġewinnan (“conquer, obtain, gain; endure, bear, suffer; be ill”)), from Proto-West Germanic *winnan, from Proto-Germanic *winnaną (“to swink, labour, win, gain, fight”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to strive, wish, desire, love”). Cognate with Low German winnen, Dutch winnen, German gewinnen, Danish vinde, Norwegian Bokmål vinne, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish vinna.
Etymology 2
From Middle English winn, winne, from Old English winn (“toil, labor, trouble, hardship; profit, gain; conflict, strife, war”), from Proto-Germanic *winną (“labour, struggle, fight”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to strive, desire, wish, love”). Cognate with German Gewinn (“profit, gain”), Dutch gewin (“profit, gain”).
Etymology 3
From Middle English wynne, winne, wunne, from Old English wynn (“joy, rapture, pleasure, delight, gladness”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunnju, from Proto-Germanic *wunjō (“joy, delight, pleasure, lust”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to strive, wish, desire, love”). Cognate with German Wonne (“bliss, joy, delight”), archaic Dutch wonne (“joy”), Danish ynde (“grace”), Icelandic yndi (“delight”).
Etymology 4
From wind.
Etymology 5
Clipping of Winchester.
Etymology 6
Clipping of Windows.
Etymology 7
Clipping of Winifred.
Etymology 8
Clipping of Winston.
Etymology 9
Borrowing from Burmese ဝင်း (wang:)