Victory and defeat - The Interpreting Coach

Victory and defeat can come up in many contexts: military conflicts, sports, competitions, etc, so I thought it was worth creating a few exercises for you.

The purpose of the exercises is to help you broaden your vocabulary around victory and defeat so you have more options when working into English.

Warning: there are quite a few idioms in today’s post!

Warm-up: gap filling

Fill in the blanks with the correct idioms.

If you want to make it easier, you can check the word bank below. You may need to change the form of the verb to fit the sentence correctly.

let slip through your fingers, defeat the purpose, admit defeat, snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, live to fight another day, win the day, by a nose

The underdog team was losing for most of the match but managed to __________ with a last-minute goal.
If you keep procrastinating, you’ll __________ a great opportunity to secure the promotion.
Our candidate won the election, but only __________, securing just 51% of the vote.
He refused to __________, even when it became clear that the project was doomed to fail.
We were trying to reduce costs, but buying expensive equipment would completely __________.
It was a hard-fought debate, but in the end, the opposition’s argument was stronger, and they managed to __________.
Although our company lost this contract, we learned valuable lessons and will __________ in future negotiations.

The underdog team was losing for most of the match but managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a last-minute goal.
If you keep procrastinating, you’ll let a great opportunity to secure the promotion slip through your fingers.
Our candidate won the election, but only by a nose, securing just 51% of the vote.
He refused to admit defeat, even when it became clear that the project was doomed to fail.
We were trying to reduce costs, but buying expensive equipment would completely defeat the purpose.
It was a hard-fought debate, but in the end, the opposition’s argument was stronger, and they managed to win the day.
Although our company lost this contract, we learned valuable lessons and will live to fight another day in future negotiations.

Brainstorming: defeat

Now let’s brainstorm some adjectives to describe a defeat. Set a timer for 3 minutes and wrack your brains to come up with words that collocate well with defeat.

a catastrophic defeat
a comprehensive defeat
a crushing defeat (often used in a political context)
a decisive defeat
a resounding defeat
a stunning defeat (meaning that it’s a shock, and perhaps also that the scale of the victory is impressive)
a narrow defeat

Here are some adjectives that describe the feelings of the loser:

a devastating defeat
an ignominious defeat
a humiliating defeat
a disastrous defeat
a bitter defeat

Verbs to use with defeat include: to accept defeat, to admit defeat, to suffer (a crushing…) defeat, to avoid defeat, to inflict defeat

And one useful phrase: we talk about defeat at the hands of, e.g. defeat at the hands of their worst enemies.

Brainstorming: victory

Now let’s do the same with victory. Can you come up with a good list of adjectives and verbs?

For adjectives:

a glorious victory
a historic victory
an impressive victory
a remarkable victory
an outstanding victory
a clear victory
a comfortable victory
a convincing victory
a crushing victory
an emphatic victory
a landslide victory (often used during elections)
a massive victory (this is more informal)
an overwhelming victory
a sweeping victory
a comprehensive victory
an outright victory
a conclusive victory
a decisive victory
a hollow victory
a Pyrrhic victory (meaning one which comes at a huge cost)
a dramatic victory
a thrilling victory
a shock victory (note that this is not quite the same as ‘a shocking victory’)
a stunning victory
a surprise victory (again, note the use of ‘noun as adjective’, like ‘a shock victory’)
an unexpected victory
a well-deserved victory
a moral victory

I’ve put in bold a few options that you may not have thought of, but that are useful (and sound good!)

As for verbs, we can clinch a victory, ensure, notch up, pull off, score, secure, snatch, romp to, sweep to, storm to, or celebrate a victory.

A couple of useful phrases:

it was hailed as a victory

they were denied victory by their opponents

Vocab consolidation (gap filling)

Now let’s consolidate some of that vocabulary.

Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrases. There are often several possible solutions!

If you want to make it easier, you can check the word bank below. You may need to change the form of the verb to fit the sentence correctly.

romp to victory, hail as a victory, notch up, outright victory, resounding defeat, narrow defeat, a shock victory, moral victory, pyrrhic victory, hollow victory, denied victory, inflict defeat

The team was expected to struggle, but they surprised everyone by pulling off __________ against the reigning champions.
The ruling party managed to secure an __________, winning over 60% of the votes.
After months of intense campaigning, the opposition suffered a __________ in the general election.
Although they lost the case in court, activists considered it __________ because it raised public awareness about the issue.
The military strategy succeeded, but the casualties were so high that many saw it as a __________ rather than a real success.
The young athlete continued her incredible streak, managing to __________ another record-breaking win.
The defending champions were expected to __________, and they did so with ease, dominating the entire competition.
Fans were furious when their team was controversially __________ after a last-minute goal was disallowed.
The government attempted to __________ its latest policy decision __________, but critics remained skeptical of its long-term impact.
The final match was incredibly close, with the home team suffering a __________ after a dramatic penalty shootout.
The chess grandmaster was able to __________ on his opponent, securing the tournament title.
His landslide victory in the debate was considered a __________ for his party, solidifying their chances in the upcoming election.

a shock victory → an unexpected win, a surprise triumph
outright victory → a decisive win, a clear-cut victory, an unchallenged success
resounding defeat → a crushing loss, a heavy defeat, a devastating setback
moral victory → a symbolic win
pyrrhic victory → a costly win, a victory at great expense
notch up → pull off, score, secure, rack up (these phrases are often used in the context of sports)
romp to victory → sweep to victory, cruise to a win, dominate the competition
denied victory → robbed of a win, prevented from winning, kept from victory
hail as a victory → celebrate as a success
narrow defeat → a close loss
inflict defeat → deal a loss to, overpower
hollow victory → an empty win, a meaningless victory, a bittersweet victory

One text, two gap filling exercises

You have two options at this point. If you want to do more work on consolidating idioms around victory and defeat, choose option 1.

If you’re bored of victory/defeat idioms, you can choose option 2. It’s based on the same text, but I’ve blanked out different words so it’s a different gap filling exercise.

You could of course do both, but maybe not in quick succession, since you’ll have read the text so the second gap filling exercise won’t work so well.

Remember there are usually several possible solutions!

Option 1: victory/defeat idioms

In the world of politics, sports, and warfare, the difference between __________ and suffering a __________ can often be razor-thin.
A leader may be __________ one day, only to be __________ by shifting circumstances the next.
Throughout history, many have learned that even an __________ can come at a cost, turning into nothing more than a __________—a triumph so costly it __________ of winning.
Take, for instance, the realm of elections. A candidate might __________ an impressive lead in the polls, only to suffer a __________ due to unforeseen scandals or last-minute shifts in public opinion.
Conversely, an underdog might secure __________, capitalising on their opponent’s missteps to __________.
Sports offer another compelling illustration. A team that loses a final match after a hard-fought battle may still claim __________, proving their worth and gaining the respect of fans and critics alike.
But for those who crave absolute dominance, anything less than first place feels like __________.
Ultimately, history remembers not just those who __________ on their opponents but also those who __________— resilient figures who turn setbacks into stepping stones.

romping to victory, resounding defeat
hailed as a victor, denied victory
outright victory, pyrrhic victory, defeats the purpose
notch up, narrow defeat
a shock victory, snatch victory from the jaws of defeat
a moral victory
a hollow victory
inflict defeat, live to fight another day

Option 2: other phrases/words

In the world of politics, sports, and warfare, the difference between romping to victory and suffering a resounding defeat can often be _____________. A leader may be hailed as a victor one day, only to be denied victory by ______________ the next. Throughout history, many have learned that even an outright victory can _________, turning into nothing more than a pyrrhic victory—a triumph so ________ it defeats the purpose of winning.

Take, for instance, the realm of elections. A candidate might notch up an impressive lead in the polls, only to suffer a narrow defeat due to ____________ or last-minute ___________. Conversely, an ________ might secure a shock victory, capitalising on their opponent’s _________ to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. In such cases, the perception of success can be just as important as the result itself.

Sports offer another compelling illustration. A team that loses a final match after a ________battle may still claim a moral victory, proving their worth and gaining the respect of fans and critics alike. But for those who _______ absolute dominance, anything less than first place feels like a hollow victory.

Ultimately, history remembers not just those who inflict defeat on their opponents but also those who live to fight another day—_______ figures who turn ________________. Victory and defeat are ________; what truly matters is the ability to ______________, adapt, and, when necessary, redefine what success means.

In the world of politics, sports, and warfare, the difference between romping to victory and suffering a resounding defeat can often be razor-thin. [you could choose something else, for example very narrow; tiny; almost nonexistent]

A leader may be hailed as a victor one day, only to be denied victory by shifting circumstances the next. [various things might fit here, e.g. unexpected developments, a change in fortunes,…]

Throughout history, many have learned that even an outright victory can come at a cost, turning into nothing more than a pyrrhic victory—a triumph so costly it defeats the purpose of winning. [you could use be costly for the first gap, but then you would have to use something else in the second gap, e.g. expensive]

Take, for instance, the realm of elections. A candidate might notch up an impressive lead in the polls, only to suffer a narrow defeat due to unforeseen scandals or last-minute shifts in public opinion. [developments, problems, surges in the polls by opponents,…]

Conversely, an underdog might secure a shock victory, capitalising on their opponent’s missteps to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. In such cases, the perception of success can be just as important as the result itself. [unpopular candidate; mistakes, errors]

Sports offer another compelling illustration. A team that loses a final match after a hard-fought battle may still claim a moral victory, proving their worth and gaining the respect of fans and critics alike. But for those who crave absolute dominance, anything less than first place feels like a hollow victory. [long battle, lengthy; seek, want, look for]

Ultimately, history remembers not just those who inflict defeat on their opponents but also those who live to fight another day—resilient figures who turn setbacks into stepping stones. [impressive, dynamic, strong; who turn setbacks into opportunities, who turn difficulties into a springboard for success,…]

Victory and defeat arefleeting; what truly matters is the ability to persevere, adapt, and, when necessary, redefine what success means. [transient, illusory; work hard, stay optimistic, be resilient]