we have a winner
9
5.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
tenemos un ganador
- Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.
- gentlemen, we have a winner
- Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner
- we have a winner here
Examples
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The recipe finalists have all been tested and we're thrilled to announce we have a winner!
Blog text (10) -
Edible Buffalo is pleased to announce that we have a winner in our Ultimate Autumn Dinner Party Pinterest Contest.
Blog text (2) -
I think it's pretty clear we have a winner.
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Well, I think we have a winner.
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I believe we have a winner.
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And we have a winner right here!
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The deadline to enter has passed, and we have a winner: Amber.
Blog text (21) -
Everyone, we have a winner: Beyonce Pad Thai!
Blog text (33) -
After weeks and weeks of counting calories, exercise, and weekly weigh-ins, we have a winner!
Blog text (31) -
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.
Synonyms
426
4.9
Say this to show you have given something or finished a task
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'we' + 'have' + 'a' + 'winner' literally conveys that 'we possess/there is a winner', i.e. someone has been chosen or succeeded. This follows ordinary possession/announcement patterns found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the intended announcement meaning.
Etymology
The phrase we have a winner comes from game shows and contests where a host points to the person or answer that was the winner. That's why people now say it to announce that someone has 'succeeded' or that something has 'worked'.