Oscar

1
[ os-ker ]

noun
  1. a word used in communications to represent the letter O.

  2. a male given name: from Old English words meaning “god” and “spear.”

  1. Military. the NATO name for a class of nuclear-powered submarines armed with cruise missiles, designed to attack aircraft carriers and escort ships: first produced for the Soviet Navy in the 1970s; in service with the Russian Navy since 1992.

Words Nearby Oscar

Other definitions for Oscar (2 of 3)

Oscar2
[ os-ker ]

Trademark.
  1. one of a group of statuettes awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion-picture production and performance.

Origin of Oscar

2
Allegedly named in 1931 by Margaret Herrick, librarian and later executive secretary at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, after her uncle

Other definitions for Oscar (3 of 3)

Oscar3
[ os-ker ]

noun
  1. one of a series of small communications satellites, launched into polar orbit as piggyback passengers on U.S. launch vehicles, for unrestricted use by radio amateurs.

Origin of Oscar

3
First recorded in 1980–85; o(rbiting)s(atellite)c(arrying)a(mateur)r(adio)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Oscar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for oscar (1 of 2)

oscar

/ (ˈɒskə) /


noun
  1. Australian slang, rare cash; money

Origin of oscar

1
C20: rhyming slang, from Oscar Asche (1871–1936), Australian actor

British Dictionary definitions for Oscar (2 of 2)

Oscar

/ (ˈɒskə) /


noun
    • any of several small gold statuettes awarded annually in the United States by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievements in films: Official name: Academy Award

    • (sometimes not capital) an award made in recognition of outstanding endeavour in any of various other fields: the TV Oscars

  1. (without capital) any annual award for excellence

  1. communications a code word for the letter o

Origin of Oscar

2
C20: sense 1 said to have been named after a remark made by an official on first seeing the statuette, that it reminded her of her uncle Oscar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Oscar

Oscar

A small statue given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to winners of its annual awards. (See Academy Awards.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.