win 1. vi. To succeed. A program wins if no unexpected conditions arise, or (especially) if it is sufficiently robust to take exceptions in stride. 2. n. Success, or a specific instance thereof. A pleasing outcome. So it turned out I could use a lexer generator instead of hand-coding my own pattern recognizer. What a win! Emphatic forms: moby win , super win , hyper-win (often used interjectively as a reply). For some reason suitable win is also common at MIT, usually in reference to a satisfactory solution to a problem. Oppose lose ; see also big win , which isn't quite just an intensification of win.