winnaar

Winnaar is the Dutch noun for a person who wins a contest, competition, or prize. It is used across contexts such as sports, games, elections, and lotteries to denote someone who finishes first or attains a prize. The term is a neutral designation of achievement and is not tied to a specific kind of competition.

Etymology and forms: the word is formed from winnen, to win, with the agentive suffix -aar. The standard masculine singular is winnaar; the feminine form is winnares. The plural forms are winnaars, and for all-female groups the feminine plural winnaressen is also used in some cases. In everyday usage, winnaars is common for mixed or unspecified groups.

Usage and nuances: winner can function as a general term for the person who wins an event, as opposed to kampioen, which often implies the official champion of a league or tournament. In sentences, you might see: Hij is de winnaar van de marathon (He is the winner of the marathon) or Zij werd de winnares van de wedstrijd (She became the winner in the competition). The word appears in news reports, match summaries, prize announcements, and other competitive contexts.

See also: kampioen, verliezer, prijs. These related terms help distinguish between the top prize or title (kampioen), the person who did not win (verliezer), and the prize itself (prijs).