prize

[ prahyz ]

/ praɪz /

See synonyms for: prize / prized / prizes on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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.

SYNONYMS FOR prize

1 premium.

See synonyms for prize on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of prize

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

synonym study for prize

1. See reward.

Words nearby prize

privy council, privy purse, privy seal, prix fixe, Prix Goncourt, prize, prize court, prizefight, prize flag, prize money, prizer

Definition for prize (2 of 3)

prize²

[ prahyz ]

/ praɪz /

verb (used with object), prized, priz·ing.

to value or esteem highly.

to estimate the worth or value of.

Origin of prize

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

synonym study for prize

1. See appreciate.

Definition for prize (3 of 3)

prize³

or prise

[ prahyz ]

/ praɪz /

noun, verb (used with object), prized, priz·ing.

pry².

Origin of prize

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun prise, from Middle French prise “a hold, grasp,” from Latin pre(hē)nsa; see prize¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for prize

There’s a reality TV competition show in the works that will feature a 2023 trip to the International Space Station as the grand prize, Deadline reports.
Contestants will compete for a SpaceX trip to the International Space Station in new reality TV show|Darrell Etherington|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
It went on to win sci-fi writing’s most prestigious prize, the Hugo Award.
These are all the ways Chinese fans think Netflix will ruin “The Three-Body Problem”|Jane Li|September 5, 2020|Quartz
Whether for a prize or a meal, these animals met their end when they came face-to-face with humans on a scale they never could’ve handled.
Climate change probably contributed to the woolly rhino’s rapid demise|Sara Kiley Watson|August 25, 2020|Popular Science
The organizers of the Berlin International Film Festival say they will stop awarding separate acting prizes to women and men beginning next year.
Berlin Film Festival will make acting prizes gender neutral next year|radmarya|August 24, 2020|Fortune

Organizers said those prizes will be replaced with a Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance and a Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance.
Berlin Film Festival will make acting prizes gender neutral next year|radmarya|August 24, 2020|Fortune
So I remember when Altman won the prize, he went up and said some version of, “Too little, too late.”
Coffee Talk with Ethan Hawke: On ‘Boyhood,’ Jennifer Lawrence, and Bill Clinton’s Urinal Exchange|Marlow Stern|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The prize will not be replaced if lost, mutilated, or stolen.
The Daily Beast Company LLC The New Alphas Sweepstakes Official Rules||December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While the winners will take home the prize money and title, the eliminated contestants can hardly be considered losers.
Inside ‘The Sex Factor’: Where 16 Men and Women Vie For Porn Immortality|Aurora Snow|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And The Prize Is Death, a cartoon by Albert Levering, attacks an epidemic of reckless driving.
The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians|Anthony Haden-Guest|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Every other year Adam Shankman was doing a Step Up movie and we could give them a role in that as a prize.
Nigel Lythgoe on How to Save Reality TV, ‘On the Town,’ and ‘Brokeback Ballroom’|Kevin Fallon|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our job is to get the Doctor down here to look at that prize specimen before it moves off to the Deep Hole.
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle|Hugh Lofting
This Prize, which is kept up by the interest accruing every three years, has been awarded at Cambridge regularly since 1845.
Toronto of Old|Henry Scadding
It was as though she were the prize for which a battle was being foughta battle, one against ten!
The Sunset Trail|Alfred Henry Lewis
The Royal Academy of Berlin, offered in 1818, a prize of 3300 francs, for an essay on this topic.
North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826|Various
The prize of victory, in this case, it says, must rest with the strong.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 8, January, 1851|Various

British Dictionary definitions for prize (1 of 3)

prize¹

/ (praɪz) /

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

Word Origin for prize

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

British Dictionary definitions for prize (2 of 3)

prize²

/ (praɪz) /

verb

(tr) to esteem greatly; value highly

Word Origin for prize

C15 prise, from Old French preisier to praise

British Dictionary definitions for prize (3 of 3)

prize³

/ (praɪz) /

verb, noun

a variant spelling of prise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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