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to win hearts

to win hearts

4 3.3
To make people like and admire you
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : ganar corazones
  • He was determined to win hearts with his engaging storytelling during the presentation.
  • win hearts and minds

And so, you know, we're we're there doing good things, helping, you know, win hearts and minds, do demining, counter poaching.

Examples

  • "If you wish to win hearts and minds, I would suggest you concede that women are disproportionately not present among many groups in our society.

    Blog text (8)
  • During the Vietnam War, U.S. strategy focused on killing insurgents at the expense of winning hearts and minds.

    Academic text (2005)
  • For the United States, the key to securing each one is winning "hearts and minds."

    Academic text (2005)
  • So much for surgical precision and winning hearts and minds.

    Blog text (8)
  • Next, unless your goal is to elect Democrats to every office, you are going to have to win hearts and minds.

    Blog text (5)
  • Look, if your job is to win hearts and minds, I don't think this is the best way of doing it.

  • For years, the pro-life movement has tried to win elections without winning hearts and minds.

    Blog text (1)
  • Calling them radical reactionaries for wanting to respect traditional marriage is not the way to win hearts and minds.

    Blog text (19)
  • It should make explicit the many historical and contemporary uses of the arts to win hearts and minds.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Senior commanders acknowledge that we are not now winning hearts and minds in Afghanistan; indeed, we never can, and certainly not at gunpoint.

    Blog text (8)

Synonyms

to steal someone's heart
vsto win hearts
  • Informal
1 3.6

To make someone feel love or a strong liking for you

is broader and does not focus on surprise or charm
to run off with someone's heart
vsto win hearts
  • Informal
7.4

Make a person fall deeply and quickly in love with you

is about gaining affection generally rather than sudden complete change

Antonyms

123 6.7

To make someone feel alone and lose support from others

21 4.2

Make someone or something move back and stay away, often by using force

How Loved

to endear
22 4.6
to win hearts
4 3.3
to captivate
19 4.2
to appeal
232 3.1
to please
216 1.0

Surface Forms

win hearts infinitive
winning hearts present participle
wins hearts third person singular
won hearts past
won hearts past participle

Morphology

win + heart

The meaning 'to gain the affection or admiration of people' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'win' (to earn) with 'heart' (center of emotions); a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE means to earn people's affection. This metaphorical but conventionalized image of 'winning hearts' is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English composition, so a B1 learner would likely understand it.

Etymology

Win hearts comes from a simple image: imagine a contest where you win prizes and the prize is someone's heart as a sign of love or strong liking. That's why win hearts means 'to gain the affection or admiration of people'.