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:
Each will receive a £1m prize to help expand their project.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
After its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last week, "NAZA" received a record-breaking 25-minute ovation and later won the special jury prize.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
A grand prize of $10,000 and a mounted catfish trophy were at stake.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has described prize draws and competitions as a "significant and growing market".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
His prize for playing in the Candidates tournament had been only $200.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Among novelist Mona Awad’s prized possessions is a handmade rabbit brooch with delicate hanging daggers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Fans reacted angrily during last Saturday's match at Bournemouth following news the club had accepted a £40m bid from Nottingham Forest for one of their prized assets, England Under-19s midfielder Harrison Armstrong.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Experts in training models, machine learning and engineering, they are some of the most prized AI employees in the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Jeanie, the third-oldest child of former Lakers owner Jerry Buss, was hand-picked by the family patriarch to oversee his prized investment that grew from a $67.5-million purchase into a $12.5 billion world-renowned brand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
In the frenzy, a prized portrait of George Washington was also taken from the White House.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
It begins in vulnerability—a future cold day, redeemed by tonight’s memory—and ends in a plea that the beloved change nothing, prizing acceptance over perfection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The Monster survey showed recent grads are prizing job security over career growth.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
Netflix was sometimes criticized for prizing quantity over quality in its film strategy, a knock that Mr. Stuber acknowledged.
From New York Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
Kourtney accused Kim of using her wedding as a “business opportunity,” prizing money over their relationship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2023
Both were thoroughgoing materialists, not in prizing possessions but in holding that matter alone provided the underpinnings of the world.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Moscow city officials said those who cast their votes electronically would be entered into a lottery, with prizes including subscriptions to music- and video-streaming services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Entering the evening with 25 nominations, “The Pitt” and its star Noah Wyle were favored to take home the top prizes in their categories, and they did.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
And at last weekend's Creative Arts Emmys, Hargitay also won two prizes for her documentary My Mom Jayne, about her actress mother Jayne Mansfield, who died in a car accident when Hargitay was three.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Other highlights from the Emmy pre-ceremonies were a posthumous award for Rob Reiner for best guest actor in a comedy for "The Bear," and seven prizes for Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
“When you’re in a library, researching a topic, you’re on a scavenger hunt, looking for clues and prizes in books instead of your attic or backyard.”
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
