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   victory, conquest, triumph. 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 © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.