conquistador
noun
con·quis·ta·dor
kän-ˈkē-stə-ˌdȯr 
kən-,
also -ˈkwi-,
-ˈki-
plural conquistadores
(ˌ)kän-ˌkē-stə-ˈdȯr-ēz
-ˈdȯr-ˌās,
kən-;
(ˌ)kän-ˌkwi-,
-ˌki-
or conquistadors
Examples of conquistador in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bernal as a despotic and at times deluded Magellan persuades the Spanish Crown to fund his bold 16th century expedition to the fabled lands of the East, only to unleash a decade of devastation wreaked by European conquistadors in the Pacific as part of colonial conquests.
—
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
The conquistador’s fleet was anchored near the Spanish settlement of Santa María de Ochuse when a hurricane swept through, causing six of the vessels to sink and another to be driven inland.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 May 2025
It could be described as a conquistador epic, set in 1519 as Hernán Cortes’ troops are supposedly welcomed by Aztec lord Moctezuma in Tenochtitlan.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025
Ha-Kohen omitted references to the Americas as Spanish territory and criticized the conquistadors for their brutality toward Indigenous peoples.
—Flora Cassen, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for conquistador
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Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
The conquistador’s fleet was anchored near the Spanish settlement of Santa María de Ochuse when a hurricane swept through, causing six of the vessels to sink and another to be driven inland.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 May 2025
It could be described as a conquistador epic, set in 1519 as Hernán Cortes’ troops are supposedly welcomed by Aztec lord Moctezuma in Tenochtitlan.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025
Ha-Kohen omitted references to the Americas as Spanish territory and criticized the conquistadors for their brutality toward Indigenous peoples.
—Flora Cassen, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for conquistador
Cite this Entry
“Conquistador.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conquistador. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
conquistador
noun
con·quis·ta·dor
kȯŋ-ˈkēs-tə-ˌdȯ(ə)r
kän-ˈk(w)is-,
kən-
plural conquistadores
kȯŋ-ˌkēs-tə-ˈdȯr-ēz
-ˈdȯr-ˌās;
-ˈdōr-;
kän-k(w)is-,
ˈkən-
or conquistadors
: a leader in the Spanish conquest of America in the 16th century
Etymology
Spanish, derived from Latin conquirere "to search for"
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