conquer
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to take control of a country or city by winning a war.
to acquire territory or subjugate a population by force of arms.
Simple“The Roman Empire managed to conquer most of Europe and parts of Africa.”
In context“The invading army sought to conquer the coastal provinces before the winter snows blocked the mountain passes.”
UsageOften used with a direct object representing a place or a people.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to successfully deal with a difficult situation, a fear, or a bad habit.
to overcome an abstract obstacle or psychological challenge through effort and persistence.
Simple“It took her many years to finally conquer her fear of flying.”
In context“The research team worked tirelessly to conquer the technical difficulties that had delayed the project for months.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
to win someone's love or to reach a difficult goal through hard work.
to gain, win, or obtain something desirable through significant exertion or charm.
Simple“He hoped his kind actions would eventually conquer her heart.”
In context“The young diplomat aimed to conquer the respect of his peers through meticulous preparation and unwavering integrity.”
“Or more than a million." "It seems to me that the situation with Ukraine now is this: you can destroy it, but you cannot conquer it.”
“Dinosaurs conquered the land at enormous sizes, but strangely, they almost never evolved into truly tiny animals.”
From Middle English conqueren, from Old French conquerre, from Late Latin conquaerere (“to knock, strike; to search for, procure”), from Latin con- + quaerere (“to seek, acquire”). Displaced native Old English oferwinnan.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.