conquer
/'kɔɳkə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To overcome and take control of a place or people by military force: To defeat an enemy or opponent and gain control of their territory through warfare or invasion.
- To successfully overcome a problem, difficulty, or strong emotion: To gain mastery over something challenging, such as a fear, a bad habit, or a difficult task.
- To gain the admiration, love, or attention of someone or a group of people: To win over or captivate, often through charm, skill, or achievement.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- The ancient Romans sought to conquer many lands. (The ancient Romans aimed to take control of many territories by force.)
- She worked hard to conquer her fear of public speaking. (She made a great effort to successfully overcome her anxiety about speaking in public.)
- The young pianist conquered the audience with her stunning performance. (The pianist won the admiration and attention of the audience with her excellent playing.)
Advanced Usage
- "to conquer one's desires": to gain control over one's own wants or impulses.
- He practiced meditation to help conquer his desires for material things.
- "to stop to conquer": to humble oneself or make a concession in order to win someone over or achieve a goal. (Note: This is a more literary or idiomatic use.)
- Sometimes in diplomacy, a nation must stop to conquer, making small sacrifices for a greater alliance.
Variants and Related Words
- Conqueror (n): A person who conquers a place or people.
- William the Conqueror led the Norman invasion of England.
- Conquest (n): The act of conquering, or something that has been conquered.
- The conquest of the mountain took five days.
- Conquering (adj): Describing something that overcomes or triumphs.
- She gave him a conquering smile after winning the debate.
Synonyms
- Overcome: To succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty.
- Subdue: To bring under control by force.
- Vanquish: To defeat thoroughly.
- Capture: To take control of a place by force.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions
(Note: "Conquer" is not commonly used with particles to form phrasal verbs. Its meanings are typically expressed directly or with prepositions like "over.") - Conquer over: (Less common, sometimes used for emphasis) To achieve victory over something. - He finally conquered over his addiction.
Related Idioms
- Divide and conquer: A strategy of gaining and maintaining power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into smaller, more manageable pieces that have less power.
- The empire used a divide and conquer strategy to control the diverse regions.
- To conquer new frontiers: To achieve success in previously unexplored or challenging areas.
- The company aims to conquer new frontiers in renewable energy technology.
Verb
- overcome by conquest
- conquer your fears
- conquer a country
- take possession of by force, as after an invasion
- the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants
- The army seized the town
- The militia captured the castle
- to put down by force or authority
- suppress a nascent uprising
- stamp down on littering
- conquer one's desires