tr.v., -quished, -quish·ing, -quish·es.
- To defeat or conquer in battle; subjugate.
- To defeat in a contest, conflict, or competition.
- To overcome or subdue (an emotion, for example); suppress: "She had had to wrench herself forcibly away from Katharine, and every step vanquished her desire" (Virginia Woolf). See synonyms at defeat.
[Middle English vaynquisshen, from Old French vainquir, vainquiss-, from Latin vincere.]
vanquishable van'quish·a·ble adj.vanquisher van'quish·er n.
vanquishment van'quish·ment n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
