These words all mean to get the better of, especially by using physical force in battle. Vanquish means to defeat utterly in battle, while conquer , though also implying victory, gives greater emphasis to gaining mastery or control over the defeated and their territory: to vanquish the enemy; The Romans conquered parts of Britain in the 1st century BC. Conquer may apply to geographical area or to a political entity, whereas vanquish refers specifically to military forces. Both words may be used in extended or figurative senses: to vanquish fear; to conquer disease; to conquer one’s shyness.

Overpower and overwhelm imply a disastrous defeat in which the defeated are rendered helpless by a sudden onset of superior power. Overpower stresses greater strength, as in numbers or weaponry; overwhelm implies complete and utter dominance, a one-sided victory that virtually constitutes a rout . Rout , strictly speaking, implies that the defeated are put to flight.

• An army which has been overpowered or overwhelmed may either surrender or be routed .

To overthrow is to defeat an opponent so thoroughly that he is deprived of his position or power: a government overthrown by an adverse vote; a champion prize-fighter overthrown by a challenger.

Surmount literally means to rise above, and is now used chiefly to refer to getting the better of difficulties, obstacles or the like: Peace negotiators must surmount mutual suspicion and resentment. Overcome suggests overpowering , as in overcoming one’s enemies, but now the word is applied chiefly to getting the better of something non-material: to overcome temptation.