conquer: implies a major action, all-inclusive effort, and a more or less permanent result: working to ~ this pernicious disease.


defeat: implies merely the fact of getting the better of an adversary at a particular time often with no more than a temporary checking or frustrating: ~ed her opponent in the tennis match.


vanquish: suggests a significant action of a certain dignity usually in the defeat of a person rather than a thing: ~ed his opponent in the championship match.


overcome: implies an opposing, often fixed, obstacle that can be dealt with only with difficulty or after a hard struggle: ~ a legal obstacle.


surmount: implies surpassing or exceeding rather than overcoming in a face-to-face confrontation: severe technical problems to be ~ed.


subdue: implies bringing under control by or as if by overpowering: the police ~d the unruly man.


subjugate: stresses bringing into and keeping in subjection and often implies a humbled or servile state in what is subjugated : ~d the minority populations.


reduce: implies surrender and submission usually as the result of overwhelming by or as if by military action: a city ~d by a month-long siege.             siege围攻;包围;封锁


overthrow: stresses the bringing down or destruction of enemy power: a futile attempt to ~ the leader.


rout: suggests such complete defeat as to cause flight or complete dispersion and disorganization of the adversary: the guerrillas ~ed the attacking force.


beat: close to but less formal than defeat, is somewhat neutral though it may imply the finality associated with vanquish: ~ an opponent at cards.        beat的过去式是自己本身


lick: is likely to imply a complete humbling or reduction to ineffectiveness of the one defeated: ~ a problem.


conquer: 重要行动和最终结果，defeat: 仅表示胜过, 可能只是暂时阻止，vanquish: 凯旋般(光荣dignity)战胜某人而非某物, overcome: 存在障碍，必须艰难斗争，surmount: 表示超越而不是克服，subdue: 强力(overpower)制服控制, subjugate: 使屈服，处境卑微，reduce: 武力迫使投降屈服，overthrow: 强调推翻, rout: 完全战胜，使敌人逃跑溃不成军，beat: 非正式，词性最弱，lick: 使完全屈服无力反抗


记忆方法： 1) 首字母CDVOSSSRORBL联想为DC OR BL OR SS VS(versus)大虫或白狼或山狮比赛<==战胜征服

          2）战胜的意思是通过力量或策略取胜mean to get the better of by force or stragegy.