won
won Lexical Profile
won Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To have been successful or victorious in a contest, game, election, or conflict (past tense and past participle of win).
"Our school debate team won the regional championship after months of preparation."
To have acquired, earned, or secured a prize, honor, or advantage as a result of effort or competition (past tense and past participle of win).
"Her groundbreaking research in biochemistry won her a prestigious international fellowship."
• noun
The standard monetary unit and official currency of both North Korea and South Korea, formerly divided into 100 chon.
"Before traveling to Seoul, she exchanged her dollars for South Korean won at the airport."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a verb form, "won" is a homophone of the number "one" (/wʌn/), whereas the Korean currency unit "won" is frequently pronounced closer to /wɒn/ or /wʌn/ depending on the speaker.
• Rhymes for won
Word Origin & Etymology
The verb form descends from the Old English past participle wunnen, from winnan (to labor, strive, or conquer). The currency noun is borrowed from Korean won, a cognate of the Chinese yuan and Japanese yen, literally meaning 'round object' or 'round coin'.