prize
1 Americannoun
-
a reward for victory or superiority, as in a contest or competition.
- Synonyms:
- premium
-
something that is won in a lottery or the like.
-
anything striven for, worth striving for, or much valued.
-
something seized or captured, especially an enemy's ship and cargo captured at sea in wartime.
-
the act of taking or capturing, especially a ship at sea.
-
Archaic. a contest or match.
adjective
-
having won a prize.
a prize bull; a prize play.
-
worthy of a prize.
-
given or awarded as a prize.
-
being an excellent example of something, especially something undesirable.
He makes his daughter's husband feel like a prize idiot whenever they get together.
verb (used with object)
-
prizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prized,
past participle, past
-
prizing
present participle
-
to value or esteem highly.
-
to estimate the worth or value of.
noun
noun
-
-
a reward or honour for victory or for having won a contest, competition, etc
-
( as modifier )
prize jockey
prize essay
-
-
something given to the winner of any game of chance, lottery, etc
-
something striven for
-
any valuable property captured in time of war, esp a vessel
verb
verb
Usage
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.
Synonym Usage
See reward.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
prizesimple
-
prizessimple
-
have prizedperfect
-
has prizedperfect
-
am prizingprogressive
-
are prizingprogressive
-
is prizingprogressive
-
have been prizingperfect progressive
-
has been prizingperfect progressive
Past
-
prizedsimple
-
had prizedperfect
-
was prizingprogressive
-
were prizingprogressive
-
had been prizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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”; see 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; see prize 1
Explanation
A prize is the reward or recognition a winner gets. When you win first prize in your state spelling bee, you might get a medal and a trip to the national competition in Washington, DC. Many prizes are given for hard work, athletic skill, or superior intellect, but it's also possible to win a prize from sheer good luck. The prize for a winning lottery ticket, for example, might be a million dollars. If your dog comes in first at an obedience competition, you can call her your "prize pup." And if you adore and value that dog more than anything else, you can say you prize her.
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:
So they set their sights on the top prize on the coaching carousel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, provides insight into how the team acquired Tarik Skubal, the biggest prize of the trade deadline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Season 2 starts with her realizing she’s probably better off free of her mystery prize.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
Artists submit themselves for the prize, making it impossible to determine whether Allen was snubbed or simply not in contention - but she was previously nominated for her 2018 album No Shame.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“He’s probably spending all the prize money on gunpowder for now, just to learn the craft,” said Smithy.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
"Not a single blow is random," he explains as a trio of craftsmen land expert strikes that create the darker more complex tones so prized by jazz drummers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Whatnot’s fast-moving auctions and feverish ‘breaks’ hook users hoping to buy prized sports cards—plus fashion, tools, food and nearly anything else.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
First Minister John Swinney described the building as "an iconic landmark" and a "prized part of Edinburgh's identity and heritage".
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Instead, he traded for it after a Lakers game in the Forum parking lot back sometime in the mid- to late-1970s, giving up one of his prized possessions as a teenager living in South Gate:
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
He became an expert with Jackson’s horses, driving carriages and wagons, and was much admired for his handling of Jackson’s prized stable.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
The Monster survey showed recent grads are prizing job security over career growth.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
Kourtney accused Kim of using her wedding as a “business opportunity,” prizing money over their relationship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2023
And maybe, like we did back then, we can say sure, yes, while prizing every tomato we harvest and understanding that we don't have the staff to hold back the inevitable weed takeover.
From Salon ● May 21, 2023
The cases highlight differences, often misconstrued as religion-based, between centuries-old immigrants’ cultural traditions and Western values prizing individualism.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2023
Another thing I had in common with crows: our habit of prizing the poorest of riches.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
Citizen detectives like Diarra Brickland, who arranges her messy life around ensuring that the people and prizes typically overlooked or quietly erased by the mainstream keep being seen, are even less common.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
In common with many value investors, Lapping prizes patience.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Last month it won three prizes, including best documentary feature, at New York's Tribeca film festival.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
MIT leaders never shied from that challenge, in keeping with the spirit of an institution that prizes practical problem-solving and empirical results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Phineas should have started the sports events but he was absorbed in cataloguing the prizes.
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.
