award
Americanverb (used with object)
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awards,
present (3rd person singular)
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awarded,
past participle, past
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awarding
present participle
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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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awards
plural
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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:
A critical clause in the CEO’s Tesla stock award would wipe away lofty performance targets if a merger happened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
In her Oscar's speech she dedicated the award to all the people of Ireland.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
She’ll complain about me needing to find a secretary before rattling off the results, links to Slate articles and a recent award.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
In September 2024, Novo scientist Lotte Bjerre Knudsen won a prestigious award — one that scientists often win before receiving a Nobel Prize — for her pioneering work on GLP-1s.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
“My daughter won an award for English and her friend got the highest GPA in the ninth grade,” Mr. Doyle brags.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
"Recent 'independent' awards clearly demonstrate a significant disparity of what is accepted as independent for one sector, but not for another," he added.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Ospina is a onetime history teacher turned librarian, who is on a mission to increase library use and ramp up reading — and has earned several district awards for getting students hooked on books.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
“I got sober because of this guy,” he said during a 2020 acceptance speech at the National Board of Review’s annual awards gala.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
It has received more than $125 million in aggregate U.S. government awards supporting national-security applications, it said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
For him the awards were a form of redemption.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Northern Ireland pupils are again expected to be awarded more top grades than their peers in England and Wales.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The Guardian awarded it four stars, external, praising its "spirit of defiance", while The Times only gave it two stars, external, calling the show "sincere" but "stilted".
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
When we awarded Bennett the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2017, he was suffering from dementia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Nine television shows, including a sequel to the 1995 hit “Clueless,” have been awarded a tax credit for filming in the Golden State, according to the California Film Commission.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
He finished fifteenth, and was awarded a ballpoint pen, perhaps because he was the youngest player.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Burnham also said the government would place more emphasis on "social value" when awarding contracts, which could include whether firms offer young people work experience.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
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
In 2007, Taco Bell heavily advertised new products such as a Cheesy Beefy Melt, its value meals and a Major League Baseball promotion awarding free tacos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 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
He was awarding cash prizes to children all over his province who did well in their exams.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
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.
