conquest

noun

con·​quest ˈkän-ˌkwest How to pronounce conquest (audio)
ˈkäŋ-;
ˈkäŋ-kwəst
1
: the act or process of conquering
2
a
: something conquered
especially : territory appropriated in war
b
: a person whose favor or hand has been won

Examples of conquest in a Sentence

tales of the ancient army's conquests She was one of his many conquests. people who boast about their sexual conquests
Recent Examples on the Web That undeniable confirmation for the world’s revisionist forces that America was an exhausted power incapable of defending its interests for very long was swiftly followed on by Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine — a horrific war of territorial conquest unseen on the European continent since 1945. Noah Rothman, National Review, 18 Mar. 2024 Nearly a quarter-century after his initial conquest, Schiff’s departure for a Senate run has opened the floodgates, with 15 people vying to replace him and represent a district that includes a wide swath of the city of Los Angeles, all of West Hollywood, Glendale and Burbank, and part of Pasadena. Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2024 The various Celtic peoples who lived across Northern and Western Europe from about 450 B.C.E. until the Roman conquest also took care burying horses. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2024 Your list of conquests continues with Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus later this summer. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2024 Many of Portugal’s decorative motifs include elements from battles, sea voyages, conquests, village life, and Catholicism, the country’s predominant religion. Christine Chitnis, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2024 His conquest is made possible by leading the native, blue-eyed Fremen people, who believe Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are a prophesied mother and son who will bring peace to their planet Arrakis. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 1 Mar. 2024 Looking back at our history, humanity's conquest of gravity propelled us to expand our horizons, revolutionizing the concepts of distance and time. Charles Beames, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Not least, a Russian victory in Ukraine would shatter the post-1945 norm against the forcible conquest and annexation of territory, thereby pulling the world back toward vicious anarchy. Hal Brands, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conquest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *conquaesitus, alteration of Latin conquisitus, past participle of conquirere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of conquest was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near conquest

Cite this Entry

“Conquest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conquest. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

conquest

noun
con·​quest ˈkän-ˌkwest How to pronounce conquest (audio)
ˈkäŋ-
1
: the act or process of conquering
2
: something conquered

More from Merriam-Webster on conquest

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