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win

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verb British English pronunciation: win /wɪn/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theywin
he/she/itwins
present participlewinning
past tensewon
past participlewon
 
  1. 1
    [intransitive/transitive] to defeat everyone else by being the best or by finishing first in a competition

    Every time we play tennis, she wins.

    Who won the race?

    The 1970 elections were won by a coalition led by Allende.

    Celtic must win by three goals to reach the semifinals.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of win
    1. a.
      to achieve victory in a war, battle, or argument

      No matter who wins the war, there will be heavy casualties on both sides.

      Why is it that whenever we argue, you always win?

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of win
  2. 2
    [transitive] to get something as a prize for defeating other people or because you are lucky

    Our skiing team won a gold medal at the Olympics.

    Raoul won first prize in a spelling contest.

    He won £4,000 in the lottery last week.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of win
  3. 3
    [transitive] to succeed in getting something that you want because of hard work or ability

    We've won a £3 million contract to build the new bridge.

    The city has won the right to host the Games.

    win support/approval:

    The bill is winning a lot of support from farmers.

    win someone's love/heart:

    He was never able to win her love.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of win
    1. a.
      to be the most important reason why someone succeeds or achieves something

      His athletic ability won him a scholarship to a good university.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of win

phrases

This is the British English definition of win. View American English definition of win.

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