won

won — verb

IPA/wʌn/
KK[wˈʌn]IPA/wʌn/

1. the past form of 'win,' used when someone has already beaten others in a game, r

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

the past form of 'win,' used when someone has already beaten others in a game, race, election, or similar contest, or has already received a prize or award

Example

Tamar won the school chess tournament after months of practice.

won + competition (past simple)

Astrid's team won every match of the season.

Common collocations
  • won easily
  • won by a landslide
  • won hands down
  • won outright
  • won fairly
Synonyms
  • triumphed

    suggests a grand or impressive victory, more formal than 'won'

  • prevailed

    implies winning after a struggle or against strong opposition

  • succeeded

    broader — can mean achieving any goal, not only beating others

Antonyms
  • lost

    the direct opposite of 'won' in competitions and games

Grammar Patterns

won + [prize / competition / match]

Usage Note

Irregular past form of 'win.' Never add -ed (*winned is wrong). 'Won' is the same for both the past simple (I won) and the past participle (I have won).

Common Mistakes

I won him in the race.
I beat him in the race.
'won' takes a prize, competition, or contest as its object, not a person you defeated.
She has winned three awards.
She has won three awards.
the past participle of 'win' is 'won,' not 'winned.'

won — noun

IPA/wˈʌn/
KK[wˈʌn]IPA/wˈʌn/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Won is the most general word for coming first or receiving a prize. If you want to focus on a specific opponent you overcame, use beat or defeated instead: 'Rafael beat the defending champion' emphasises the opponent, while 'Rafael won the tournament' emphasises the result. Defeated is more formal than beat and often used about battles, elections, or politics: 'The rebels were defeated after a long siege.' Triumphed and prevailed both appear in more formal or literary writing. Triumphed suggests a glorious, decisive victory ('The underdog triumphed against all odds'), while prevailed implies winning only after difficulty or resistance ('Reason prevailed over panic in the end').

beat ↗defeat ↗triumph ↗prevail ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

  • won by
  • won against
  • won with

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The verb won is the past tense of win, which comes from Old English winnan ('to work, struggle, fight'). The meaning shifted over centuries from 'fighting' to 'coming first.' The noun won, referring to Korean currency, is borrowed from Korean 원 (won), which originally meant 'round' or 'circle' — a reference to the round shape of coins.

First known use

1917

1917, in the meaning defined above Verb