vaincre

defeat

verb VAN-kruh Less Common

Also means

conquer

Usage Note

Vaincre is an irregular verb: present je vaincs, il vainc, past participle vaincu. The related noun vainqueur means 'victor' or 'winner'. Se laisser vaincre means 'to allow oneself to be beaten'. The expression avoir vaincu ('to have conquered') is used in formal and literary registers.

Examples

"Ils ont vaincu leurs adversaires."

Natural Translation

They defeated their opponents.

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