past form and past participle
Succeeded in a game, race, election, or other competition.
She won the race by two seconds.
We have won the last three games.
American English
How to pronounce won
verbA2Very common word
WUHN
/wən/
One syllable.
Form of win
Won is used for both the past form and the past participle of win.
Succeeded in a game, race, election, or other competition.
What to listen for
“Won” is usually pronounced /wən/. In fast, natural speech, the vowel can be very short, so the word may sound almost like /wn̩/.
Meanings & examples
past form and past participle
Received a prize, money, or another benefit because of success or luck.
He won a gold medal.
She has won a free trip in a contest.
past form and past participle
Made someone support you, trust you, or like you.
Her kindness won my trust.
The new teacher has won the students over.
Useful expressions
Persuade someone to like you, trust you, or support you.
Her calm answer won me over.
A situation in which everyone benefits.
The agreement is a win-win situation for both sides.
Sometimes you succeed and sometimes you do not.
The project failed, but you win some, you lose some.
Related words & forms
Both past forms are won, not winned. Before -ing, double the final n: winning.