winner

[win-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that wins; victor.

   All three winners received plaques for their winning presentations.

   A yearling Teeswater sheep took the limelight yesterday when it was crowned the overall winner of the interbreed Wool on the Hoof competition.

2. a person or thing that is marked by consistently or thoroughly excellent quality, performance, etc. (loser ).

   This brownie recipe is a real winner—I’ve made it countless times and it always turns out beautifully.

winner

/ ˈwɪnə /

noun

1. a person or thing that wins

2. informal,  a person or thing that seems sure to win or succeed

Other Word Forms

• nonwinner noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of winner¹

A Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; win ¹, -er ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. winner take(s) all. winner take all

Example Sentences

Artist Ally Fallon has been named as the youngest ever winner of the John Moores Painting Prize.

From BBC

The actor, who broke out in the 2022 best picture Oscar winner “CODA,” hadn’t yet read a script for the crime drama, but she enthusiastically replied yes to Ingelsby’s question.

From Los Angeles Times

Formal winners are not usually declared in exhibitions and the results do not count towards either fighter's career record.

From BBC

Sabalenka struck the first blow in the opener, swatting away a booming forehand winner to break early, but a poor service game allowed Pegula straight back in.

From BBC

His counterpart, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, was nowhere near top form.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• champ 
• champion 
• first 
• hero 
• medalist 
• number one