What does vanquish mean?
Word: Vanquish
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Vanquish means to defeat an opponent completely, in a contest, a game or a match; also to overcome a feeling such as fear.
Synonyms: defeat, conquer, overcome, crush
Antonyms: lose
Word origin: Comes from Old French, from Latin vincere, 'to conquer'.
How do you spell vanquish?
Syllables: van - quish
Tricky part: The kw sound is spelt qu, so vankish and vanqish are the slips to avoid.
Watch out for: vankish, vanqish
Memory tip: Vanquish has the qu of queen: the q never travels without its u.
Vanquish in a sentence
Example 1: In the story, the clever princess vanquished the giant with a riddle.
Example 2: The young chess player vanquished three grandmasters in one week.
Example 3: She finally vanquished her fear of speaking on stage.
Fun Fact
Invincible and convince come from the same Latin verb vincere, and Julius Caesar's famous report veni, vidi, vici ends with its past form, I conquered.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Fill the blanks with 'a' and 'i'. Which option gives the meaning of the word they complete?
1. v__nqu__sh 2. rel__nqu__sh 3. ext__ngu__sh 4. dim__n__sh
a) to make or become smaller
b) to give up something you have been holding on to
c) to put out a fire or a light
d) to overpower so thoroughly that no comeback is possible
Show answer
d) to overpower so thoroughly that no comeback is possible. A and i complete only the first word, vanquish; the other three need e, i or u in those gaps.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with the word closest in meaning:
1. vanquish 2. abundant 3. humble a. trounce b. modest c. plentiful
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Closest in meaning: to vanquish a rival is to trounce it, abundant means plentiful, and a humble person is modest.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
To beat a rival team so completely that it has no chance of coming back is to ____ it.
a) applaud
b) console
c) imitate
d) vanquish
Show answer
d) vanquish. To console is to comfort, to applaud is to clap and to imitate is to copy; only vanquish means to beat completely.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
Our football team vanquished last year's champions and carried the trophey round the ground.
a) 2
b) 3
c) 1
d) 0
Show answer
c) 1. Vanquished is spelt correctly; only trophy is wrong, as it has no e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which headline describes a side being vanquished?
a) Home side beaten 7-0 in one-sided final
b) Final put off because of heavy rain
c) Both teams agree to share the trophy
d) Match ends in a 1-1 draw
Show answer
a) Home side beaten 7-0 in one-sided final
2. Which feeling would most students like to vanquish before a big exam?
a) calmness
b) curiosity
c) confidence
d) nervousness
Show answer
d) nervousness
