conquer

conquer [käŋ′kər, kän′kər]

vt.

[ME conqueren < OFr conquerre < VL * conquaerere (for L conquirere), to search for, procure < L com-, intens. + quaerere, to seek, acquire]

1. to get possession or control of by or as by winning a war

2. to overcome by physical, mental, or moral force; get the better of; defeat

vi.

to make conquests; win

conquerable

adj.

conqueror

n.

SYN.- CONQUER implies gaining mastery over someone or something by physical, mental, or moral force [to conquer bad habits ]; VANQUISH implies a thorough overpowering or frustrating, often in a single conflict or battle [a vanquished army ]; to DEFEAT is to get the better of, often only for the time being [the defeated troops rallied and counterattacked ]; OVERCOME implies the overpowering of an antagonist or the surmounting of difficulties; to SUBDUE is to defeat so as to break the spirit of resistance; to SUBJUGATE is to bring under complete subjection; OVERTHROW implies a victory in which a prevailing power is dislodged by force; to ROUT¹ is to defeat so overwhelmingly that the enemy is put to disorderly flight