win-at-all-costs — determined to succeed by any means necessary, regardless of moral or ethical considerations
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: determined to succeed by any means necessary, regardless of moral or ethical considerations
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈwɪn æt ɔːl kɔːsts/
Example Sentences
- The win-at-all-costs CEO fired half the company just to boost quarterly profits.
- My grandmother's win-at-all-costs approach to bingo includes lucky charms and bribing the caller.
- His win-at-all-costs dating strategy involved fake profiles and borrowed sports cars.
win-at-all-costs
ADJECTIVE[/ˈwɪn æt ɔːl kɔːsts/]
determined to succeed by any means necessary, regardless of moral or ethical considerations

determined to succeed by any means necessary, regardless of moral or ethical considerations

He charms the hosts while calculating costs - winning at all costs!
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
This compound adjective developed in modern English from the idiom 'at all costs,' which emerged in competitive contexts of sports and business culture. The phrase combines the concept of victory with the willingness to sacrifice principles or resources to achieve it, reflecting 20th-century competitive discourse.
Breakdown
win (to achieve victory) + at all costs (regardless of the price or sacrifice required). The phrase fuses a goal-oriented verb with an idiomatic prepositional phrase emphasizing absolute determination.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The win-at-all-costs CEO fired half the company just to boost quarterly profits.”
“My grandmother's win-at-all-costs approach to bingo includes lucky charms and bribing the caller.”
“His win-at-all-costs dating strategy involved fake profiles and borrowed sports cars.”
“The team's win-at-all-costs philosophy eventually led to their downfall when the cheating was exposed.”
📚Related Words
Want to master 27,000+ words?
Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.