2 VERB If you conquer something such as a problem, you succeed in ending it or dealing with it successfully. □ [V n] He has never conquered his addiction to smoking. □ [V n] …the first man in history to conquer Everest.
con|quer|or /kɒ ŋkərə r / (conquerors ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] The conquerors of a country or group of people are the people who have taken complete control of that country or group's land. □ The people of an oppressed country obey their conquerors because they want to go on living.
con|quest /kɒ ŋkwest/ (conquests )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Conquest is the act of conquering a country or group of people. □ [+ of ] He had led the conquest of southern Poland in 1939. □ After the Norman Conquest the forest became a royal hunting preserve.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Conquests are lands that have been conquered in war. □ He had realized that Britain could not have peace unless she returned at least some of her former conquests.
3 N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] If someone makes a conquest , they succeed in attracting and usually sleeping with another person. You usually use conquest when you want to indicate that this relationship is not important to the person concerned. □ Despite his conquests, he remains lonely and isolated.
4 N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] You can refer to the person that someone has succeeded in attracting as their conquest . □ Pushkin was a womaniser whose conquests included everyone from prostitutes to princesses.
5 N‑SING The conquest of something such as a problem is success in ending it or dealing with it. □ [+ of ] The conquest of inflation has been the Government's overriding economic priority for nearly 15 years.
con|quis|ta|dor /kɒnkw I stədɔː r / (conquistadors or conquistadores ) N‑COUNT The conquistadors were the sixteenth-century Spanish conquerors of Central and South America.
con|science /kɒ nʃ ə ns/ (consciences )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft poss N , adj N ] Your conscience is the part of your mind that tells you whether what you are doing is right or wrong. If you have a guilty conscience , you feel guilty about something because you know it was wrong. If you have a clear conscience , you do not feel guilty because you know you have done nothing wrong. □ I have battled with my conscience over whether I should actually send this letter. □ What if he got a guilty conscience and brought it back? □ I could go away again with a clear conscience.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Conscience is doing what you believe is right even though it might be unpopular, difficult, or dangerous. □ He refused for reasons of conscience to sign a new law legalising abortion. □ …the law on freedom of conscience and religious organizations.
3 → see also prisoner of conscience
4 N‑UNCOUNT Conscience is a feeling of guilt because you know you have done something that is wrong. □ I'm so glad he had a pang of conscience. □ They have shown a ruthless lack of conscience.
5 PHRASE If you say that you cannot do something in all conscience , in good conscience , or in conscience , you mean that you cannot do it because you think it is wrong. □ She could not, in good conscience, back out on her deal with him.
6 PHRASE If you have something on your conscience , you feel guilty because you know you have done something wrong. □ Now the murderer has two deaths on his conscience.
con|sci|en|tious /kɒ nʃie nʃəs/ ADJ Someone who is conscientious is very careful to do their work properly. □ [+ about ] We are generally very conscientious about our work. ● con|sci|en|tious|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □ He studied conscientiously and enthusiastically.
co n|sci|en|tious ob|je ct|or (conscientious objectors ) N‑COUNT A conscientious objector is a person who refuses to join the armed forces because they think that it is morally wrong to do so.
con|scious ◆◇◇ /kɒ nʃəs/
1 ADJ [v-link ADJ that] If you are conscious of something, you notice it or realize that it is happening. □ She was very conscious of Max studying her. □ Conscious that he was becoming light-headed again, he went over to the window.
2 ADJ [v-link ADJ that] If you are conscious of something, you think about it a lot, especially because you are unhappy about it or because you think it is important. □ [+ of ] I'm very conscious of my weight.
3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A conscious decision or action is made or done deliberately with you giving your full attention to it. □ I don't think we ever made a conscious decision to have a big family. □ Make a conscious effort to relax your muscles. ● con|scious|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Sophie was not consciously seeking a replacement after her father died.
4 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Someone who is conscious is awake rather than asleep or unconscious. □ She was fully conscious all the time and knew what was going on.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] Conscious memories or thoughts are ones that you are aware of. □ He had no conscious memory of his four-week stay in hospital. ● con|scious|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] □ Most people cannot consciously remember much before the ages of 5 to 7 years.
-conscious /kɒ nʃəs/ COMB -conscious combines with words such as 'health', 'fashion', 'politically', and 'environmentally' to form adjectives which describe someone who believes that the aspect of life indicated is important. □ We're all becoming increasingly health-conscious these days.