побежда́ть

fairly common #3461

verbimperfective perfective is победи́ть

1.
to defeat, to beat, to vanquish, to conquer
Он ча́сто побежда́ет меня́ в ша́хматы.
He often beats me at chess.
Imperfective; takes a direct object.
2.
to win, to triumph, to prevail
На́ша кома́нда ре́дко побежда́ет на вы́езде.
Our team rarely wins away from home.
Used without an object: of a team, party or idea.
3.
to overcome, to get the better of
Она́ постепе́нно побежда́ет свой страх.
She is gradually overcoming her fear.
With abstract objects such as fear or illness.

Examples

Я побежда́ю.
I'm winning.
Кто побежда́ет?
Who's winning?
Любо́вь побежда́ет всё.
Love conquers all.
Добро, олицетворяемое героем сказки, побеждает зло.
The good embodied by the fairy-tale hero triumphs over evil.
Том почти всегда побежда́ет в спо́рах.
Tom almost always wins arguments.
Мне не нра́вилась э́та игра́, пока я не начал побежда́ть.
I didn't like that game until I started to win.
Ты не мо́жешь все вре́мя побежда́ть.
You can't win every time.
Тяготе́ние снова побежда́ет!
Gravity wins again!

Imperative
ты	побежда́й
вы	побежда́йте

Active present	побежда́ющий	winning, victorious, conquering
Active past	побежда́вший	who was winning, who used to win, who was defeating, victorious
Passive present	побежда́емый	defeatable, conquerable, vincible, surmountable
Passive past	-
Gerund present	побежда́я	while doing (present)
Gerund past	побеждав побеждавши	while doing (past)