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:
For previous cohorts, this meant having a perfect GPA, winning a prestigious award, or demonstrating the highest technical advancement.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Drones typically hover above a vehicle or move close enough to it for an observer to award them a “kill.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
He became embarrassed after he was caught fabricating or embellishing stories about playing college baseball, responding to protest scenes and an award he won in the police academy, according to the motion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
In her Oscar's speech she dedicated the award to all the people of Ireland.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Liddy and Hunt soon learned that Daniel Ellsberg was scheduled to come to Washington in September to accept an award from a peace organization.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
The talk show raked in Daytime Emmy awards, and the host’s sway with the audience was undeniable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
"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
Her work has been recognized by journalism awards bodies including the National Association of Real Estate Editors and the Gerald Loeb Awards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
To this day, Houston holds the Guinness World Record for the most awards won by a female artist, with more than 400 prizes, including six Grammys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Even though the science fair was over six months away, my declaration “I’ll be number one next year!” at the last awards ceremony must have really gotten to her.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
A small number of Volvo dealers, Haiken among them, were awarded Polestar franchises when the automaker began selling its Polestar 2 in the U.S. in 2020.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The government’s case sought to recover billions of dollars in federal research grants awarded to Harvard since October 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
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 plaintiff sued for money and settled for an apology plus something his complaint never requested and no court could have awarded: immunity, granted by his own subordinates.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
She was honored as a Hero of the Soviet Union and awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
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
Prosecutors had alleged that Deepak Jain, chief executive of AiNET, misled the SEC into awarding him $10.7 million for providing it with the use of his firm’s data center.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
If VAR had been available, Scottish referee Hugh Dallas could have corrected the missed call, awarding a penalty and giving Frings a red card, expelling him for the final 40 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
“All right, pal,” Finny spoke in his cordial, penetrating voice, that reverberant instrument in his chest, “don’t start awarding prizes until you’ve passed the course. The tree is waiting.”
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
