conquer

/ˈkäŋ-kər/

Middle English, to acquire, conquer, from Anglo-French conquerre, from Vulgar Latin *conquaerere, alteration of Latin conquirere to search for, collect, from com- + quaerere to ask, search

verb

  1. to gain or acquire by force of arms : subjugate

  2. to overcome by force of arms : vanquish

  3. to gain mastery over or win by overcoming obstacles or opposition

conquer territory

conquer vanquish defeat subdue reduce overcome overthrow mean to get the better of by force or strategy. conquer implies gaining mastery of. vanquish implies a complete overpowering.

idiom

  1. to make a group of people disagree and fight with one another so that they will not join together against one

His military strategy is to divide and conquer.