trophy

[troh-fee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR trophy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural tro·phies.

anything taken in war, hunting, competition, etc., especially when preserved as a memento; spoil, prize, or award.

anything serving as a token or evidence of victory, valor, skill, etc.: a sports trophy.

a symbol of success that is used to impress others: He bought the lavish home as a trophy.

a carving, painting, or other representation of objects associated with or symbolic of victory or achievement.

any memento or memorial.

a memorial erected by certain ancient peoples, especially the Greeks and Romans, in commemoration of a victory in war and consisting of arms or other spoils taken from the enemy and hung upon a tree, pillar, or the like.

adjective

noting or relating to a symbol of success that is used to impress others: They just want a near-perfect trophy child to brag about.

Origin of trophy

1505–15; earlier trophe < French trophée < Latin trop(h)aeum < Greek trópaion, noun use of neuter of trópaios, Attic variant of tropaîos of turning or putting to flight, equivalent to trop(ḗ) a turning (akin to trépein to turn) + -aios adj. suffix. See trope

Related formstro·phy·less, adjective

-trophy

a combining form used in the formation of nouns with the general senses “nourishment, feeding” (mycotrophy), “growth” (hypertrophy); also forming abstract nouns corresponding to adjectives ending in -trophic.

Origin of -trophy

< Greek -trophia nutrition, equivalent to troph(ḗ) food + -ia -y³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for trophy

citation, prize, gold, cup, keepsake, crown, souvenir, decoration, medal, memento, memorial, booty, guerdon, spoils, token, reminder, ribbon, palm

Examples from the Web for trophy

Contemporary Examples of trophy

In straight relationships with an age gap, words like ‘gold-digger’ and ‘trophy wife’ get thrown around.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic
Samantha Allen
January 9, 2015
Get a thrill, get off a lucky shot, take home a trophy, put it up in a secret chamber of our heart.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours
James Poulos
December 5, 2014
“Management” in this situation means issuing permits for trophy grizzly hunts.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear
Doug Peacock
November 23, 2014
The charity gets its name from the symbolic date when the America's Cup trophy left the U.K.
The Disappearance of Kate Middleton
Tom Sykes
October 15, 2014
Its horrific title aside, Trophy Wife was the closest thing in style, tone, and humor to Modern Family that ABC had ever produced.
‘black-ish’ Is the New ‘Modern Family’
Kevin Fallon
October 1, 2014

Historical Examples of trophy

You worship victories, for in your trophies the cross is the heart of the trophy.
The Non-Christian Cross
John Denham Parsons
But, after all, Max carried the trophy of Steve's shots close to the camp.
With Trapper Jim in the North Woods
Lawrence J. Leslie
Then Doug turned placidly back to the construction of his trophy.
The Forest
Stewart Edward White
They captured about two hundred shields, and set up a trophy.
Hellenica
Xenophon
On this spot the Ephesians erected a trophy, and another at Coressus.
Hellenica
Xenophon

British Dictionary definitions for trophy

trophy

noun plural -phies

an object such as a silver or gold cup that is symbolic of victory in a contest, esp a sporting contest; prize

a memento of success, esp one taken in war or hunting

(in ancient Greece and Rome)

a memorial to a victory, usually consisting of captured arms raised on the battlefield or in a public place
a representation of such a memorial

an ornamental carving that represents a group of weapons, etc

(modifier) informal highly desirable and regarded as a symbol of wealth or successa trophy wife

Word Origin for trophy

C16: from French trophée, from Latin tropaeum, from Greek tropaion, from tropē a turning, defeat of the enemy; related to Greek trepein to turn

-trophy

n combining form

indicating a certain type of nourishment or growthdystrophy

Derived Forms-trophic, adj combining form

Word Origin for -trophy

from Greek -trophia, from trophē nourishment

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

Word Origin and History for trophy

1510s, "a spoil or prize of war," from Middle French trophée (15c.) from Latin trophaeum "a sign of victory, monument," originally tropaeum, from Greek tropaion "monument of an enemy's defeat," noun use of neuter of adjective tropaios "of defeat," from trope "a rout," originally "a turning" (of the enemy); see trope. Figurative extension to any token or memorial of victory is first recorded 1560s. Trophy wife attested by 1984.

-trophy

word-forming element meaning "food, nourishment," from Greek trophe "food, nourishment," related to trephein "make thrive, nourish, rear; to make solid, congeal, thicken."

trophy in Medicine

-trophy

suff.

Nutrition; growth:hypertrophy.