The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word CONQUEST
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
O
N
Q
U
E
S
T
More clues leading to the result CONQUEST
- Criminal venture to achieve mastery
- Conservative search for gain
- Tory hunt victory
- Prisoner with search for occupation
- Victory or defeat
- Conservative seeking victory
- Company venture around north achieves successful outcome
- Policeman not able to claim that Spanish victory
- New mission to support military commander in victory
- After party, that French student abandoned seduction
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Victory/defeat" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case victory/defeat = conquest.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CONQUEST mean?
CONQUEST noun- Victory gained through combat; the subjugation of an enemy.
- (by extenstion) An act or instance of overcoming an obstacle.
- That which is conquered; possession gained by force, physical or moral.
- (feudal law) The acquiring of property by other means than by inheritance; acquisition.
- A person whose romantic affections one has gained, or with whom one has had sex.
- A competitive mode found in first-person shooter games in which competing teams (usually two) attempt to take over predetermined spawn points labeled by flags.
- To conquer.
- To compete with an established competitor by placing advertisements for one's own products adjacent to editorial content relating to the competitor or by using terms and keywords for one's own products that are currently associated with the competitor.