Academy Award

American

Trademark.

an annual award given to a performer, director, technician, etc., of the motion-picture industry for superior achievement in a specific category: judged by the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and symbolized by the presentation of an Oscar.

Academy Award British

noun

the official name for an 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

Etymology

Origin of Academy Award

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Four-time Academy Award nominee Denis Villeneuve, currently working on the third ‘Dune’ film, will direct the next film in the long-running James Bond franchise.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

The Times called “Beyond the Mat” one of the best films of the year, and it was one of 12 finalists for Academy Award consideration.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

He went on to have more than 70 screen roles across his career, including starring opposite actress Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, for which she won her third Academy Award for best actress.

From BBC • May 11, 2026

Talankin, 35, a videographer from a small-town Russian school, caused a sensation when he won the Academy Award for best documentary feature alongside US filmmaker David Borenstein in March.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

She’d received an Academy Award nomination the previous year, when she was twenty-three, and was almost as famous as Matty.

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023