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victory

 - 4 dictionary results

vic⋅to⋅ry

  [vik-tuh-ree, vik-tree]
Use victory in a Sentence
–noun, plural -ries.
1. a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.
2. an engagement ending in such triumph: American victories in the Pacific were won at great cost.
3. the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest: The new vaccine effected a victory over poliomyelitis.
4. a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc.: a moral victory.
5. (initial capital letter) the ancient Roman goddess Victoria, often represented in statues or on coins as the personification of victory.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME victorie < L victōria, equiv. to victōr-, s. of victor victor + -ia -y 3

Related forms:
vic⋅to⋅ry⋅less, adjective

Synonyms:
3. Victory, conquest, triumph refer to a successful outcome of a struggle. Victory suggests the decisive defeat of an opponent in a contest of any kind: victory in battle; a football victory. Conquest implies the taking over of control by the victor, and the obedience of the conquered: a war of conquest; the conquest of Peru. Triumph implies a particularly outstanding victory: the triumph of a righteous cause; the triumph of justice.

Antonyms:
1–3. defeat.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To victory
vic·to·ry   (vĭk'tə-rē)   
n.   pl. vic·to·ries

  1. Defeat of an enemy or opponent.

  2. Success in a struggle against difficulties or an obstacle.

  3. The state of having triumphed.


[Middle English, from Old French victorie, from Latin victōria, from victor, victor; see victor.]
Synonyms: These nouns denote winning a war, struggle, or competition. Victory refers especially to the final defeat of an enemy or opponent: "Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be" (Winston S. Churchill).
Conquest connotes subduing, subjugating, or achieving control over: "Conquest of illiteracy comes first" (John Kenneth Galbraith).
Triumph denotes a victory or success that is especially noteworthy because it is decisive, significant, or spectacular: preaching the eventual triumph of good over evil.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

victory 
c.1315, from O.Fr. victorie, from L. victoria, from pp. stem of vincere (see victor). V.E. ("victory in Europe") and V.J. ("victory in Japan") days in WWII were first used Sept. 2, 1944, by James F. Byrne, U.S. director of War Mobilization. Victorious is attested from c.1386, from L.L. victoriosus "having many victories," from victoria.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

victory

see pyrrhic victory.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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