победи́тель
pobedítelʹmasculine
The English word 'winner' is translated into Russian as победи́тель (pobedítelʹ). Wiktionary also lists победи́тельница (pobedítelʹnica).
Meaning: one who has won or often wins (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| победи́тель | pobedítelʹ | masculine |
| победи́тельница | pobedítelʹnica | feminine |
A winner is someone who has won or frequently wins. In formal or sports-related contexts, the term Чемпион (champion) is often used instead.
What does it mean word for word?
The word победи́тель is derived from the verb победи́ть, meaning to win or to defeat, combined with the suffix -тель, which denotes an agent or the person performing the action.
Which one should you use?
победи́тель is the masculine form and serves as the generic masculine to refer to a winner of unknown or mixed gender. победи́тельница is the feminine form used specifically when the winner is a woman.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form победи́тельница is used specifically when referring to a female winner.
How do you pronounce it?
pobedítelʹ
Did you know?
- The word победи́тель is closely related to the Russian word for 'victory', побе́да, which is used as a popular female name in countries like Belarus and Ukraine.
- To describe a hard-fought victory, Russians use the phrase вы́рвать побе́ду, which literally means 'to tear out the victory'.
- While победи́тель is the literal word for 'winner', Russian has a specific word счастли́вчик for someone who wins a lottery or jackpot, emphasizing luck over skill.
Examples in context
- На конкурсе самым достойным победителем стал Владимир.At the competition, Vladimir became the most worthy winner.
- Наша команда стала чемпионом.Our team became the champion.
- Наталья стала самой яркой победительницей в конкурсе красоты.Natalia became the brightest winner in the beauty pageant.
Example conversation
Anastasia and Alexander are watching a sports competition.
- Анастасия AnastasiaСмотри, он почти у цели!Smotri, on pochti u tseli!Look, he is almost at the goal!
- Александр AleksandrДа, он точно будет победи́тель.Da, on tochno budet pobeditel.Yes, he will definitely be the winner.
- Анастасия AnastasiaЭто была очень тяжёлая гонка.Eto byla ochen tyazholaya gonka.It was a very difficult race.
- Александр AleksandrЗато он заслужил эту победу.Zato on zasluzhil etu pobedu.But he deserved this victory.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “winner” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
