(transitive, intransitive) To reach some destination or object, despite difficulty or toil (now usually intransitive, with preposition or locative adverb).
c. 17th century, unknown author, The Baron of Brackley (traditional folk song)
I well may gang out, love, but I'll never win home.
(transitive) To triumph or achieve victory in (a game, a war, etc.).
(transitive) To gain (a prize) by succeeding in competition or contest.
(transitive) To obtain (someone) by wooing; to make an ally or friend of (frequently with over).
(intransitive) To achieve victory.
(intransitive) To have power, coercion or control.
(transitive) To obtain (something desired).
(transitive) To cause a victory for someone.
(transitive, mining) To extract (ore, coal, etc.).
(transitive, informal) To defeat or surpass someone or something.
Conjugation
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 2
From Middle Englishwinn, winne, from Old Englishwinn(“toil, labor, trouble, hardship; profit, gain; conflict, strife, war”), from Proto-Germanic*winną(“labour, struggle, fight”), from Proto-Indo-European*wenh₁-(“to strive, desire, wish, love”). Cognate with GermanGewinn(“profit, gain”), Dutchgewin(“profit, gain”).
Noun
win (pluralwins)
An individual victory.
Antonym:loss
Our first win of the season put us in high spirits.
(slang) A feat carried out successfully; a victorious achievement.
Antonym:fail
(obsolete) Gain; profit; income.
(obsolete) Wealth; goods owned.
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 3
From Middle Englishwynne, winne, wunne, from Old Englishwynn(“joy, rapture, pleasure, delight, gladness”), from Proto-West Germanic*wunnju, from Proto-Germanic*wunjō(“joy, delight, pleasure, lust”), from Proto-Indo-European*wenh₁-(“to strive, wish, desire, love”).
Cognate with GermanWonne(“bliss, joy, delight”), archaic Dutchwonne(“joy”), Danishynde(“grace”), Icelandicyndi(“delight”).
Noun
win
(Scotland) Pleasure; joy; delight.
Alternative form of wynn
Derived terms
worldly win
Etymology 4
From wind.
Verb
win
(transitive, Scotland) To dry by exposure to the wind.
References
Chuukese
Etymology
Borrowed from Englishwin.
Noun
win
win
victory
prize
Verb
win
to win
Dutch
Pronunciation
Rhymes: -ɪn
IPA(key): /ʋɪn/
Verb
win
inflection of winnen:
first-person singular present indicative
imperative
Kis
Noun
win
woman
Further reading
Malcolm Ross, Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia, Pacific Linguistics, series C-98 (1988)
Stephen Adolphe Wurm, New Guinea Area Languages and Language Study (1976)
Middle English
Etymology 1
Noun
win (uncountable)
Alternative form of wynne(“happiness”)
Etymology 2
From Old Englishwinn, from Proto-West Germanic*winnan, from Proto-Germanic*winną, *winnaną; akin to winnen. Reinforced by earlier iwin, from Old Englishġewinn.
Alternative forms
winn, winne, wynne, wunne
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /win/
Noun
win (uncountable)
benefit, gain, profit
(Late Middle English) wealth, riches
(Early Middle English) discord, conflict, turmoil
(Early Middle English, rare) exertion, work
Descendants
English: win
References
“win, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 3 April 2020.
Etymology 3
Verb
win
Alternative form of winnen(“to win”)
Etymology 4
Noun
win
Alternative form of vine(“grapevine”)
Mokilese
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈwin/
Noun
win
hair
an animal's feathers or scales
Possessive forms
Derived terms
winan
North Frisian
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /vɪn/
Etymology 1
From Old Frisianwind, from Proto-Germanic*windaz.
Noun
winm
(Mooring) wind
Etymology 2
From Old Frisianwīn, from Proto-West Germanic*wīn, from Latinvīnum.
Noun
winm
(Mooring) wine
Old Dutch
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic*wīn, from Latinvīnum.
Noun
wīnm
wine
Descendants
Middle Dutch: wijn
Dutch: wijn
Afrikaans: wyn
Berbice Creole Dutch: win
Negerhollands: wien, win
→ Saramaccan: wín
→? Sranan Tongo: win
→ Lokono: wing
→ Caribbean Javanese: win
Limburgish: wien
Further reading
“wīn”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic*wīn from Latinvīnum.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /wiːn/
Noun
wīnn
wine
c. 810, charter of Christ Church Canterbury, Cotton Augustus II, 79, f1r: