prize money

American  

noun

1. money offered, won, or received in prizes.

2. a portion of the money realized from the sale of a prize, especially an enemy's vessel, divided among the captors.

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prize money British  

noun

1. any money offered, paid, or received as a prize

2. (formerly) a part of the money realized from the sale of a captured vessel

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Etymology

Origin of prize money

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prize money

The event was set to be held at the end of August at The Cardinal at Saint John’s outside of Detroit, with $40 million in prize money on the line.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The six shortlisted authors will receive £2,500 each and a specially bound edition of their book, while the eventual winner will receive a trophy and £50,000 in prize money.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Leigh said they are not trying to make a profit, but they need to sell 550,000 tickets to cover the property’s costs, legal fees, taxes, prize money and raffle expenses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Soccer, would pool 80% of all World Cup prize money earned by its men’s and women’s national teams, which created one of the most notable equal-pay arrangements in sports history.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

“I thought if we won,” I said, “I would use the prize money to fly my mom to New Mexico. If we could get there, and she could see these flowers...”

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

Related Words

• jackpot
• reward