triumph

See also: Triumph

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹaɪ.ʌmf/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈtɹaɪ.əmf/

• Audio (US)

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Etymology 1

From Old French triumphe, from Latin triumphus (“triumphal procession”), ultimately from Ancient Greek θρίαμβος (thríambos, “thriambus”). Doublet of thriambus.

Noun

triumph (countable and uncountable, plural triumphs)

1. A conclusive success following an effort, conflict, or confrontation of obstacles; victory; conquest.

   the triumph of knowledge

   After being defeated in three previous finals, Roger finally tasted triumph' at this year's competition.

2. A magnificent and imposing ceremonial performed in honor of a victor.
3. (obsolete) Any triumphal procession; a pompous exhibition; a stately show or pageant.
   • c. 1607–1608, William Shakeſpeare, The Late, And much admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […]‎^[1], London: Imprinted at London for Henry Goſſon,  […], published 1609, OCLC 78596089, [Act II, scene iii]:

     We are ready, & our daughter heere, / In honour of whoſe Birth, theſe Triumphs are, / Sits heere like Beauties child,

4. A state of joy or exultation at success.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book 7”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     Great triumph and rejoicing was in heaven.

   • 1697, “Aeneis”, in Virgil; John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 403869432:

     Hercules from Spain / Arrived in triumph, from Geryon slain.

5. (obsolete) A trump card.
   • c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene i]:

     Eros has
     Packt Cards with Cæsars, and false plaid my Glory
     Unto an Enemies triumph

6. A card game, also called trump.
7. (historical, Ancient Rome) a ceremony held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander.
8. A work of art, cuisine, etc. of very high quality.

   Scorsese's latest film is a triumph.

   This wedding cake is a triumph.

9. A card trick in which the cards are shuffled with half face-up and half face-down, then laid out so that only the observer's chosen card is facing upward.

Translations

conclusive success; victory; conquest

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: տրիումֆ (hy) (triumf), հաղթանակ (hy) (hałtʿanak)
• Azerbaijani: zəfər (az), təntənə
• Bulgarian: победа (bg) f (pobeda), триумф (bg) m (triumf)
• Catalan: triomf (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 凱旋 (zh), 凯旋 (zh) (kǎixuán), 勝利 (zh), 胜利 (zh) (shènglì)

• Danish: triumf c
• Dutch: triomf (nl)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: voitto (fi), riemuvoitto (fi)
• French: triomphe (fr) m
• Galician: triunfo m, trunfo m
• Georgian: ტრიუმფი (ṭriumpi)
• German: Triumph (de) m
• Greek: θρίαμβος (el) m (thríamvos)
• Hebrew: נִצָּחוֹן‎ (nitsakhón)
• Higaonon: nakadaug
• Hungarian: diadal (hu)
• Indonesian: kemenangan (id)
• Irish: caithréim f
• Italian: trionfo (it) m

• Japanese: 勝利 (ja) (しょうり, shōri), 偉業 (いぎょう, igyō)
• Korean: 승리(勝利) (ko) (seungni)
• Latin: triumphus m
• Marathi: विजय (vijay)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: triumf m

  Nynorsk: triumf m

• Old English: siġe m
• Persian: پیروزی‎ (fa) (piruzi)
• Polish: triumf (pl) m, tryumf m
• Portuguese: triunfo (pt) m
• Romanian: triumf (ro) n
• Russian: триу́мф (ru) m (triúmf), побе́да (ru) f (pobéda)
• Spanish: triunfo (es) m
• Swedish: triumf (sv) c
• Tagalog: tagumpay (tl)
• Thai: ชัย (th) (chai)
• Turkish: zafer (tr)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Yiddish: טריומף‎ m (tryumf)

ceremony performed in honour of a victory

• Bulgarian: триумф (bg) m (triumf)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 凱旋 (zh), 凯旋 (zh) (kǎixuán)

• Danish: sejrsceremoni c
• Finnish: voitonjuhla, triumfi (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: θρίαμβος m (thríambos)

• Hungarian: diadalmenet (hu)
• Japanese: 凱旋 (ja) (gaisen)
• Portuguese: triunfo (pt) m
• Russian: триу́мф (ru) m (triúmf)

any triumphal procession; pompous exhibition etc

• Bulgarian: триумфално шествие n (triumfalno šestvie)
• Danish: triumftog n
• Finnish: triumfi (fi), riemusaatto

• Volapük: levikodagoläd

a state of joy or exultation at success

• Azerbaijani: təntənə
• Bulgarian: ликуване (bg) n (likuvane), тържествуване (bg) n (tǎržestvuvane)
• Danish: triumf c
• Finnish: voitonriemu
• French: triomphe (fr) m
• German: Triumph (de) m
• Hungarian: örömujjongás (hu)

• Italian: trionfo (it) m
• Japanese: 意気揚々 (ja) (iki yōyō), 勝ち誇り (はちほこり, kachihokori)
• Romanian: triumf (ro) n, victorie (ro) f
• Russian: триу́мф (ru) m (triúmf), торжество́ (ru) n (toržestvó), ликова́ние (ru) n (likovánije)

trump card — see trump

card game

• Finnish: valtti (fi)

ceremony to celebrate someone’s military achievement

• Finnish: voitonjuhla

• Portuguese: triunfo (pt) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} نَصْر‎ (ar) m (naṣr)
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} triomf (nl)
• French: ^{(please verify)} triomphe (fr) m
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} trionfo (it) m
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 승리 (ko) (seungni)

• Macedonian: ^{(please verify)} триумф m (triumf)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} triunfo (es) m
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} triumf (sv)
• Tamil: ^{(please verify)} வென்றி (ta) (veṉṟi)

Etymology 2

From Latin triumphō.

Verb

triumph (third-person singular simple present triumphs, present participle triumphing, simple past and past participle triumphed)

1. To celebrate victory with pomp; to rejoice over success; to exult in an advantage gained; to exhibit exultation.
   • 1593, anonymous, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I:

     England is growne to ſuch a paſſe of late,
     That rich men triumph to ſee the poore beg at their gate.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Psalms 94:3:

     How long shall the wicked triumph?

   • c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     Sorrow on thee, and all the packe of you
     That triumph thus vpon my miſery:

2. To prevail over rivals, challenges, or difficulties.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, OCLC 932920499; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:

     Forſake thy king and do but ioyne with me
     And we will triumph ouer al the world.

3. To succeed, win, or attain ascendancy.
   • 1856 February​, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “Oliver Goldsmith [from the Encyclopædia Britannica]”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, new edition, London: Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer, published 1871, OCLC 30956848:

     On this occasion, however, genius triumphed.

   • 2016, David Thomson, Biggest lesson of the 2016 Oscars? The Academy should be scrapped (in The Guardian, 3 March 2016)[2]

     No one reckoned in advance that he had anything but a very testing job as host. He had to be tough, brave, witty, engaging – and decent. He triumphed on every count, thanks to sheer ability.

4. To be prosperous; to flourish.
   • 1774, John Trumbull, An Elegy on the Times

     where commerce triumphed on the favouring gales

5. To play a trump in a card game.
   • 1625, Ben Jonson, The Fortunate Isles and Their Union

     Of the kings and the queens that triumph in the cards

Translations

to prevail over rivals

• Azerbaijani: qələbə çalmaq, zəfər çalmaq, qalib gəlmək (az), üstün gəlmək
• Bulgarian: побеждавам (bg) (pobeždavam)
• Danish: triumfere, sejre
• Dutch: triomferen (nl)
• Finnish: voittaa (fi), menestyä (fi)
• French: triompher (fr)
• Galician: triunfar
• German: triumphieren (de)
• Greek: θριαμβεύω (el) (thriamvévo)
• Hebrew: ניצח‎ (he) (nitséakh)
• Hungarian: diadalmoskodik, győzedelmeskedik (hu)
• Italian: trionfare (it)

• Japanese: 大勝利を成す (daishōri o nasu), 偉業を成す (igyō o nasu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: triumfere

• Phoenician: 𐤍𐤑𐤓‎ (nṣr /naṡar/)
• Portuguese: triunfar
• Quechua: haylliy
• Romanian: triumfa (ro), învinge (ro)
• Spanish: triunfar (es)
• Swedish: triumfera (sv)

to succeed

• Azerbaijani: qələbə çalmaq, zəfər çalmaq
• Bulgarian: побеждавам (bg) (pobeždavam)
• Danish: triumfere, sejre
• Finnish: voittaa (fi), menestyä (fi)
• French: triompher (fr)
• Galician: triunfar
• German: triumphieren (de)

• Hebrew: הצליח‎ (he) (hitslíakh)
• Italian: trionfare (it)
• Japanese: 大勝利を成す (daishōri o nasu), 偉業を成す (igyō o nasu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: triumfere

• Portuguese: triunfar

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} zegevieren (nl)

Related terms

• triumphal
• triumphant