prize

¹

[prahyz]

noun

1. a reward for victory or superiority, as in a contest or competition.

   Synonyms: premium

2. something that is won in a lottery or the like.

3. anything striven for, worth striving for, or much valued.

4. something seized or captured, especially an enemy's ship and cargo captured at sea in wartime.

5. the act of taking or capturing, especially a ship at sea.

6. Archaic.,  a contest or match.

adjective

1. having won a prize.

   a prize bull; a prize play.

2. worthy of a prize.

3. given or awarded as a prize.

4. being an excellent example of something, especially something undesirable.

   He makes his daughter's husband feel like a prize idiot whenever they get together.

prize

²

[prahyz]

verb (used with object)

prized, prizing 

1. to value or esteem highly.

2. to estimate the worth or value of.

prize

³

Or prise

[prahyz]

noun

prized, prizing 

1. pry.

prize

¹

/ praɪz /

noun

1. 1. a reward or honour for victory or for having won a contest, competition, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      prize jockey

      prize essay

2. something given to the winner of any game of chance, lottery, etc

3. something striven for

4. any valuable property captured in time of war, esp a vessel

prize

²

/ praɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to esteem greatly; value highly

prize

³

/ praɪz /

verb

1. a variant spelling of prise

Word History and Origins

Origin of prize¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; in senses referring to something seized, continuing Middle English prise “something captured, a seizing, requisition,” from Old French prise “capture (of a ship), booty,” from Vulgar Latin prēsa, prēnsa (unrecorded), from Latin pre(hē)nsa, noun use of feminine past participle of pre(he)ndere “to take, grasp, seize”; in senses referring to something won, spelling variant since the late 16th century of Middle English pris(e) price

Origin of prize²

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English prisen “to set a price, appraise,” from Middle French prisier, priser, variants of Old French preisier “to value, appraise”; praise

Origin of prize³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun prise, from Middle French prise “a hold, grasp,” from Latin pre(hē)nsa; prize ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of prize¹

C14: from Old French prise a capture, from Latin prehendere to seize; influenced also by Middle English prise reward; see _price

Origin of prize²

C15 prise, from Old French preisier to _praise

Synonym Study

See reward.

Example Sentences

The rankings are determined by the amount of prize money a player has won from ranking tournaments over a two-year period.

Read more on BBC

The film has won prizes in Spain, and was nominated for a prestigious Goya Award.

Read more on BBC

It’s the eighth-largest prize in the game’s history — and if there’s a winner, that person can claim it as a series of annual payments, or opt for a lump sum of $452.2 million before taxes.

Read more on MarketWatch

Like prized athletes, the students describe being courted or stalked, depending upon whom you ask.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Rather than feeling robbed of a cash prize when he found out about the scandal, Callum says he actually found it "quite funny".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• accolade 
• advantage 
• bonus 
• bounty 
• championship 
• citation 
• crown 
• dividend 
• gold 
• honor 
• inducement 
• jackpot 
• medal 
• payoff 
• purse 
• reward 
• scholarship 
• title 
• trophy 
• windfall 

When To Use

What are other ways to say prize?

To prize something is to value or esteem it highly. How is prize different from esteem, value, and appreciate? Find out on Thesaurus.com.