Emily Dickinson Lexicon

WIN, v.t. [pret. and pp. won. Sax. winnan, to labor, to toil, to gain by labor, to win; D. winnen; G. gewinnen; Sw. vinna.]

1. To gain by success in competition or contest; as, to win the prize in a game; to win money; to win a battle, or to win a country. Battles are won by superior strength or skill. Who thus shall Canaan win. – Milton.
2. To gain by solicitation or courtship.
3. To obtain; to allure to kindness or compliance. Thy virtue won me. Win your enemy by kindness.
4. To gain by persuasion or influence; as, an orator wins his audience by argument. The advocate has won the jury. And Mammon wins his way, where seraphs might despair. – Byron.