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

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Academy Award

The sixth annual fundraiser honored Oscar winner Charlize Theron with the Icon Award, filmmaker and composer John Carpenter with the Luminary Award and Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo with the Vantage Award.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Astaire’s recording helped propel “The Way You Look Tonight” to six weeks atop “Your Hit Parade,” and the song won an Academy Award.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

He won an Academy Award for best documentary for "Taxi to the Dark Side," which tackles the US military's interrogation practices in Afghanistan.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

At the time there was no Academy Award for animated features.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Among his honors was the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the 1973 film The Paper Chase.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

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