vanquish

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To defeat an enemy or opponent so completely that they can no longer resist.

   Grammar: Always takes an object: vanquish the enemy.

   Patterns

   • vanquish someone
   • vanquish something

   The hero vanquished the dragon and saved the village.

   The champion vanquished all her rivals that season.

   The army vanquished the invaders after a long campaign.

2. 2verbtransitivefigurative

   To overcome a feeling, fear or problem completely.

   Grammar: Takes an object such as fear or doubt: vanquish your fears.

   Patterns

   • vanquish fear
   • vanquish doubt

   She vanquished her fear of speaking in public.

   The new vaccine helped vanquish the disease.

   He tried to vanquish his doubts before the exam.

Word forms

Common combinations

vanquish an enemy

The king set out to vanquish his enemies.

vanquish a foe

The knight vanquished every foe in the tournament.

vanquish fear

Practice helped her vanquish fear.

utterly vanquished

The rebels were utterly vanquished.

vanquish doubt

Facts alone did not vanquish his doubt.

Synonyms and how they differ

defeat

Defeat is the neutral everyday verb, while vanquish suggests a total, decisive and dramatic victory.

conquer

Conquer often involves taking over land or overcoming a huge challenge, while vanquish focuses on beating an opponent.

crush

Crush is more informal and stresses overwhelming force, while vanquish sounds formal and epic.

overcome

Overcome is milder and fits difficulties and feelings, while vanquish sounds more triumphant.

Opposites

Word family

vanquished adjective

completely defeated

vanquisher noun

one who defeats others

vanquishable adjective

able to be defeated, rare

Commonly confused: vanquish or banish?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “vanquish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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