Adjacent Words

Triumph definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TRI'UMPH, n. [L. triumphus.]
1. Among the ancient Romans, a pompous ceremony performed in honor of a victorious general, who was allowed to enter the city crowned, originally with laurel, but in later times with gold, bearing a truncheon in one hand and a branch of laurel in the other, riding in a chariot drawn by two white horses, and followed by the kings, princes and generals whom he had vanquished, loaded with chains and insulted by mimics and buffoons. The triumph was of two kinds, the greater and the less. The lesser triumph was granted for a victory over enemies of less considerable power, and was called an ovation.
2. State of being victorious.
Hercules from Spain
Arriv'd in triumph, from Geryon slain.
3. Victory; conquest.
The vain coquets the trifling triumphs boast.
4. Joy or exultation for success.
Great triumph and rejoicing was in heav'n.
5. A card that takes all others; now written trump, which see.
TRI'UMPH, v.i. To celebrate victory with pomp; to rejoice for victory.
How long shall the wicked triumph? Psalms 94.
1. To obtain victory.
There fix thy faith, and triumph o'er the world.
Attir'd with stars, we shall forever sit
Triumphing over death.
2. In insult upon an advantage gained.
Let not my enemies triumph over me. Psalms 25.
Sorrow on all the pack of you
That triumph thus upon my misery.
3. To be prosperous; to flourish.
Where commerce triumph'd on the favoring gales.
triumph over,to succeed in overcoming; to surmount; as, to triumph over all obstacles.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a successful ending of a struggle or contest; "a narrow victory"; "the general always gets credit for his army's victory"; "clinched a victory"; "convincing victory"; "the agreement was a triumph for common sense" [syn: victory, triumph] [ant: defeat, licking]
2: the exultation of victory v
1: prove superior; "The champion prevailed, though it was a hard fight" [syn: prevail, triumph]
2: be ecstatic with joy [syn: wallow, rejoice, triumph]
3: dwell on with satisfaction [syn: gloat, triumph, crow]
4: to express great joy; "Who cannot exult in Spring?" [syn: exuberate, exult, rejoice, triumph, jubilate]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural triumphs) Etymology: Middle English triumphe, from Old French, from Latin triumphus Date: 14th century 1. a ceremony attending the entering of Rome by a general who had won a decisive victory over a foreign enemy — compare ovation 1 2. the joy or exultation of victory or success 3. a. a victory or conquest by or as if by military force b. a notable success <the party was a triumph> • triumphal adjective II. intransitive verb Date: 1508 1. to obtain victory ; prevail 2. a. to receive the honor of a triumph b. to celebrate victory or success boastfully or exultingly

Britannica Concise

Ancient Roman ritual procession honoring a general who had won a major battle and killed at least 5,000 enemy. Senators and magistrates were followed by sacrificial animals, captured loot, and captives in chains. The general, in a purple-and-gold tunic, rode in a chariot, holding a laurel branch in his right hand and an ivory scepter in his left, while a slave held a golden crown over his head. Lastly came the soldiers, singing songs, which were sometimes ribald. Under the empire, only the emperor and members of his family celebrated triumphs.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a the state of being victorious or successful (returned home in triumph). b a great success or achievement. 2 a supreme example (a triumph of engineering). 3 joy at success; exultation (could see triumph in her face). 4 the processional entry of a victorious general into ancient Rome. --v.intr. 1 (often foll. by over) gain a victory; be successful; prevail. 2 ride in triumph. 3 (often foll. by over) exult. Etymology: ME f. OF triumphe (n.), triumpher (v.), f. L triump(h)us prob. f. Gk thriambos hymn to Bacchus

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Triumph Tri"umph, v. t. To obtain a victory over; to prevail over; to conquer. Also, to cause to triumph. [Obs.] Two and thirty legions that awe All nations of the triumphed word. --Massinger.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Triumph Tri"umph, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Triumphed; p. pr. & vb. n. Triumphing.] [L. triumphare: cf. F. triompher. See Triumph, n.] 1. To celebrate victory with pomp; to rejoice over success; to exult in an advantage gained; to exhibit exultation. How long shall the wicked triumph? --Ps. xciv. 3. Sorrow on thee and all the pack of you That triumph thus upon my misery! --Shak. 2. To obtain victory; to be successful; to prevail. Triumphing over death, and chance, and thee, O Time. --Milton. On this occasion, however, genius triumphed. --Macaulay. 3. To be prosperous; to flourish. Where commerce triumphed on the favoring gales. --Trumbull. 4. To play a trump card. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Triumph Tri"umph, n. [L. triumphus, OL. triumpus; of uncertain origin; cf. Gr. ? a procession in honor of Bacchus: cf. F. triomphe. Cf. Trump at cards.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A magnificent and imposing ceremonial performed in honor of a general who had gained a decisive victory over a foreign enemy. Note: The general was allowed to enter the city crowned with a wreath of laurel, bearing a scepter in one hand, and a branch of laurel in the other, riding in a circular chariot, of a peculiar form, drawn by four horses. He was preceded by the senate and magistrates, musicians, the spoils, the captives in fetters, etc., and followed by his army on foot in marching order. The procession advanced in this manner to the Capitoline Hill, where sacrifices were offered, and victorious commander entertained with a public feast. 2. Hence, any triumphal procession; a pompous exhibition; a stately show or pageant. [Obs.] Our daughter, In honor of whose birth these triumphs are, Sits here, like beauty's child. --Shak. 3. A state of joy or exultation for success. Great triumph and rejoicing was in heaven. --Milton. Hercules from Spain Arrived in triumph, from Geryon slain. --Dryden. 4. Success causing exultation; victory; conquest; as, the triumph of knowledge. 5. A trump card; also, an old game at cards. [Obs.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(triumphs, triumphing, triumphed) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A triumph is a great success or achievement, often one that has been gained with a lot of skill or effort. The championships proved to be a personal triumph for the coach, Dave Donovan... Cataract operations are a triumph of modern surgery, with a success rate of more than 90 percent... N-VAR 2. Triumph is a feeling of great satisfaction and pride resulting from a success or victory. Her sense of triumph was short-lived... 3. If someone or something triumphs, they gain complete success, control, or victory, often after a long or difficult struggle. All her life, Kelly had stuck with difficult tasks and challenges, and triumphed... The whole world looked to her as a symbol of good triumphing over evil. VERB: V, V over n

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tri'-umf (thriambeuo, "to lead in triumph"): The word is used by Paul to express an idea very familiar to antiquity, and to the churches at Corinth and Colosse: "But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ" (2Co 2:14); "Having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col 2:15).

A triumph in Rome was a magnificent procession in honor of a victorious general, and the highest military distinction which he could obtain. It was granted by the senate only to one who had held the office of dictator, consul, or praetor, and after a decisive victory in the complete subjugation of a province. In a Roman triumph the victorious general entered the city in a chariot drawn by four horses. He was crowned with laurel, having a scepter in one hand and a branch of laurel in the other. He was preceded by the senate and magistrates, musicians, the spoils of his victory, and the captives in fetters; and followed by his army on foot, in marching order. The procession thus advanced along the Via Sacra to the Capitol, where a bull was sacrificed to Jupiter, and the laurel wreath deposited in the lap of the god. During the triumphal entry the priests burned incense, and hence, the reference of the apostle: "For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish; to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life" (2Co 2:15,16). The incense that was to the victor the "savor" of his triumph would be to the wretched captives the "savor," or intimation, of a rapidly approaching death in the Roman arena or in the damp vaults of the Tullianum. Thus the "incense," or influence, of the apostolic gospel would be to the believer the assurance of redemption through Christ, and to the unbeliever the assurance of spiritual death.

After the suicide of Antony in Alexandria (30 BC) Augustus Caesar succeeded in getting Cleopatra into his power. She had hoped to subdue him by her charms, but without avail. Aware that she was doomed, she revolted against the thought of being led in triumph to Rome, and, as tradition states, took her own life by allowing an asp to bite her, saying, "I will not be led in triumph"; see Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, V, ii:

"He'll lead me, then, in triumph? ....

Thou, an Egyptian puppet, shalt be shown

In Rome as well as I: mechanic slaves,

With greasy aprons, rules, and hammers shall

Uplift us to the view. ....

Arthur Walwyn Evans

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Ovation, celebration, jubilee, jubilation, exultation, flourish of trumpets, joy. 2. Conquest, victory, success. II. v. n. 1. Exult, rejoice, hold a triumph, celebrate a victory. 2. Prevail, succeed, get the mastery, obtain a victory, meet with success. 3. Be prosperous, flourish, thrive, prosper. 4. Boast, crow, swagger, brag, vaunt, exult, boast insolently.

Moby Thesaurus

Cadmean victory, KO, Pyrrhic victory, accomplishment, achievement, anniversaries, ascendancy, attainment, be victorious, bear the palm, beat, beat all hollow, beat hollow, beat the game, beat the system, best, best seller, big hit, break the record, brilliant success, carry the day, celebrating, celebration, ceremony, championship, clobber, come through, come up fighting, come up smiling, commemoration, conquer, conquest, coup, crow, crow over, crowing, defeat, delight, destroy, do in, dominate, dressing ship, drub, easy victory, elation, exhilaration, exult, exultation, exulting, fad, fanfare, fanfaronade, festivity, fix, flourish of trumpets, gain, gas, gasser, gloat, gloat over, gloating, glory, grand slam, great success, happiness, hide, hit, holiday, hoopla, hors de combat, joy, jubilance, jubilate, jubilation, jubilee, killing, knockout, lambaste, landslide, landslide victory, lather, lick, live through, marking the occasion, master, mastery, memorialization, memory, merriment, meteoric success, momentary success, moral victory, observance, outclass, outdo, outfight, outgeneral, outmaneuver, outpoint, outrun, outsail, outshine, ovation, overcome, overwhelm, persevere, picnic, prevail, prevail over, prosper, pushover, put, rapture, raucous happiness, rejoicing, religious rites, remembrance, resounding triumph, revel, reveling, riot, rise above, rite, ritual observance, roaring success, rout, ruin, runaway victory, salute, salvo, sensation, settle, show of joy, skin, skin alive, smash, smash hit, solemn observance, solemnization, subdual, subdue, subduing, succeed, success, surmount, take the cake, testimonial, testimonial banquet, testimonial dinner, thrash, thrive, toast, total victory, tribute, trim, triumph over, trounce, undo, vanquish, vanquishing, vanquishment, victory, walkaway, walkover, weather out, weather the storm, whip, whoopee, win, win out, win through, winning, winning streak, worst, wow