award
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give as due or merited; assign or bestow.
to award prizes.
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to bestow by judicial decree; assign or appoint by deliberate judgment, as in arbitration.
The plaintiff was awarded damages of $100,000.
noun
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something awarded, as a payment or medal.
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Law.
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a decision after consideration; a judicial sentence.
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the decision of arbitrators on a matter submitted to them.
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verb
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to give (something due), esp as a reward for merit
to award prizes
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law to declare to be entitled, as by decision of a court of law or an arbitrator
noun
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something awarded, such as a prize or medal
an award for bravery
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(in Australia and New Zealand) the amount of an award wage (esp in the phrase above award )
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law
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the decision of an arbitrator
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a grant made by a court of law, esp of damages in a civil action
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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awardabilitynoun
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awardeenoun
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awardernoun
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superawardnoun
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misawardverb (used with object)
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awardableadjective
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unawardableadjective
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unawardedadjective
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well-awardedadjective
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awardableadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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awardsimple
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awardssimple
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have awardedperfect
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has awardedperfect
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am awardingprogressive
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are awardingprogressive
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is awardingprogressive
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have been awardingperfect progressive
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has been awardingperfect progressive
Past
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awardedsimple
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had awardedperfect
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was awardingprogressive
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were awardingprogressive
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had been awardingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of award
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English awarden, from Anglo-French awarder; equivalent to a- 4 + ward; (for the noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French, derivative of awarder
Explanation
The noun award refers to a prize of some kind that indicates you’ve done well and achieved an honor. The verb form of award describes giving out one of these honors. So your teacher may award you the Math Genius award. Award can be something given out by a court of law. For example, a judge might give you a monetary award when you win a lawsuit. Award can also be something you get when you're the big winner. The state lottery commission might award you $35 when you hit the lottery. Award comes from the Old English word weardian, meaning “guard” — which is exactly what you should do with that $35.
Vocabulary lists containing award
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 1
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Academy Awards, List 1
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"Dr. Seuss" by Jill Foran
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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.
See Examples For:
He was presented with the award by Chief Constable Jen Mattinson at West Midlands Police's awards evening earlier in July.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Laura is the recipient of the Gerald Loeb award for deadline reporting and the New York Women in Communications, Inc. Matrix Award in the newspaper category, honoring her achievements in journalism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
A spokesperson said there was a cost associated with award applications and its focus was on "directing as much funding as possible into enhancing and maintaining our parks".
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Prince didn’t know much about football, but by the end of Wallace’s junior year, she had won a team award for her work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
I give Autumn one last playful side-eye, glance once more at the cinnamon rolls, head to the kitchen, and try to break my record for the Fastest Dishwashing Session Ever award.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
The suit argues that owning the Golden Globes would “solidify a vertical and horizontal monopoly on the awards market.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
No Surprises Act awards tripled in 2025, compared with the year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
In some cases companies have given their bosses extra awards that they claim are not 'performance-related payments', or bonuses, which they argue means the cash is not covered by the ban.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
The North East received just 57 awards while Yorkshire - which received the second fewest - received 90, but most regions achieved over 120.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
He was honored with several awards during his lifetime.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
He created a Peace Prize and awarded it to Trump.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Many of the projects are complex, multi-year efforts that involve a hodgepodge of agencies, experts and partnerships, such as ARCHES, the state’s billion-dollar hydrogen hub awarded under President Biden.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Truck dealer Rush Enterprises awarded its CEO $107,000 in personal use of a company-owned, 11,000-acre Texas hunting ranch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The scheme looks to reward the best parks in the country - the first Green Flags were awarded in 1997 after many historic city centre parks were left neglected and derelict for decades.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Of all the trophies, it was the two Keys to the City awarded to them by the mayor of Fry that filled Otto with the most pride.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
This spring, DRL staff were initially told to begin the process of awarding funds to Lex Libertas, a South African organization founded by a prominent member of the nation’s white Afrikaner movement.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
"These are grave assertions that directly impugn the claimants' personal integrity, character, and professional reputation", Lim said, adding that this was a factor in the awarding of the damages.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Upon awarding the prize, a member of the Nobel committee likened the technology’s ability to store enormous amounts of stuff in seemingly compact spaces to Hermione Granger’s enchanted handbag in the Harry Potter series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Arise has repeatedly denied accusations of fraud and/or corruption in the awarding of public contracts, notably in Gabon and Chad.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
No. “Well—this is just a literary sort of exercise,” Pacheco told him scornfully, at last awarding the spiders a disdainful glower.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
