Meaning & use
conquer
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To defeat a people or country and take control of its land by force.
Grammar: Takes an object: conquer a country; often passive in history: the city was conquered.
Patterns
- conquer something
- be conquered by someone
The Romans conquered much of Europe.
The army conquered the city after a long siege.
They were conquered by a neighboring empire.
verbtransitivefigurative
To overcome a fear, problem, or difficulty through effort.
Grammar: Takes an object such as fear, addiction, or challenge.
Patterns
- conquer a fear of something
She conquered her fear of flying with weekly classes.
He finally conquered his addiction to sugar.
Engineers conquered the problem of vibration.
verbtransitive
To succeed in reaching the top of a mountain or finishing a hard route.
Grammar: Takes a place as object: conquer a peak.
Patterns
- conquer a mountain
The team conquered the summit after six days.
Few climbers have conquered that route in winter.
verbtransitivefigurative
To win the admiration or affection of a large audience or market.
Grammar: A lively, somewhat journalistic use: conquered the world of fashion.
Patterns
- conquer the market
The band conquered Europe with its first album.
The little phone company conquered the market in three years.
Word forms
| third person singular | conquers |
|---|---|
| past tense | conquered |
| past participle | conquered |
| -ing form | conquering |
Common combinations
- conquer a country
- The king hoped to conquer the neighboring country.
- conquer your fear
- Public speaking classes helped her conquer her fear.
- conquer a mountain
- They set out to conquer the highest mountain in the range.
- divide and conquer
- The manager used a divide and conquer approach to the task.
- conquer the world
- The new game promised to conquer the world.
Synonyms and how they differ
- defeat
- Defeat means to beat someone in a battle or contest, but it does not require taking over land or ruling afterward as conquer does.
- overcome
- Overcome fits problems and feelings more naturally and sounds less dramatic than conquer.
- vanquish
- Vanquish is literary and focuses on a complete defeat of an enemy, without necessarily taking territory.
- subdue
- Subdue suggests bringing something under control by force, usually a lesser degree of victory than conquer.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: conquer or conquest?
conquer vs conquest
Conquest is the noun for the act or result of conquering, so you say the conquest of Gaul but conquer Gaul.
Practice
After months of practice, he finally ___ his fear of speaking in public.
Choose one answer.
Conquer works figuratively with fears, meaning to overcome them. Captured and occupied suit places or people, and inherited does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “conquer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.