1. [n]  a victory (as in a race or other competition); "he was happy to get the win"
2. [n]  something won (especially money)
3. [v]  be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious; "He won the Gold Medal in skating"; "Our home team won"; "Win the game"
4. [v]  obtain advantages, such as points, etc.; "The home team was gaining ground"; "After defeating the Knicks, the Blazers pulled ahead of the Lakers in the battle for the number-one playoff berth in the Western Conference"
5. [v]  win something through one's efforts
6. [v]  attain success or reach a goal; "The enterprise succeeded"; "We succeeded in getting tickets to the show"; "she struggled to overcome her handicap and won"

1. \Win\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Won}, Obs. {Wan}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Winning}.] [OE. winnen, AS. winnan to strive, labor,
   fight, endure; akin to OFries. winna, OS. winnan, D. winnen
   to win, gain, G. gewinnen, OHG. winnan to strive, struggle,
   Icel. vinna to labor, suffer, win, Dan. vinde to win, Sw.
   vinna, Goth. winnan to suffer, Skr. van to wish, get, gain,
   conquer. [root]138. Cf. {Venerate}, {Winsome}, {Wish},
   {Wont}, a.]
   1. To gain by superiority in competition or contest; to
      obtain by victory over competitors or rivals; as, to win
      the prize in a gate; to win money; to win a battle, or to
      win a country. ``This city for to win.'' --Chaucer. ``Who
      thus shall Canaan win.'' --Milton.
            Thy well-breathed horse Impels the flying car, and
            wins the course.                      --Dryden.
   2. To allure to kindness; to bring to compliance; to gain or
      obtain, as by solicitation or courtship.
            Thy virtue wan me; with virtue preserve me. --Sir P.
                                                  Sidney.
            She is a woman; therefore to be won.  --Shak.
   3. To gain over to one's side or party; to obtain the favor,
      friendship, or support of; to render friendly or
      approving; as, to win an enemy; to win a jury.
   4. To come to by toil or effort; to reach; to overtake.
      [Archaic]
            Even in the porch he him did win.     --Spenser.
            And when the stony path began, By which the naked
            peak they wan, Up flew the snowy ptarmigan. --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.
   5. (Mining) To extract, as ore or coal. --Raymond.
   Syn: To gain; get; procure; earn. See {Gain}.
   

2. \Win\, v. i.
   To gain the victory; to be successful; to triumph; to
   prevail.
         Nor is it aught but just That he, who in debate of
         truth hath won, should win in arms.      --Milton.
   {To win of}, to be conqueror over. [Obs.] --Shak.
   {To win on} or {upon}.
   (a) To gain favor or influence with. ``You have a softness
       and beneficence winning on the hearts of others.''
       --Dryden.
   (b) To gain ground on. ``The rabble . . . will in time win
       upon power.'' --Shak.
   

(Said of people, computers, algorithms, programs) (To be) a success at a given task.

E.g. "WYSIWYG is a clear win for small documents".

"winnitude" is the quality posessed by something which wins. "winning" is often (ab)used as an adjective.

Synonyms: cuspy, elegant. Antonym: lose. Compare lossy, lossless.

[Jargon File]