Victoria Cross

American  

noun

1. a British decoration awarded to soldiers and sailors for acts of conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy. V.C.

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Victoria Cross British  

noun

1. the highest decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to the British and Commonwealth armed forces: instituted in 1856 by Queen Victoria

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Etymology

Origin of Victoria Cross

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Roberts-Smith won the Victoria Cross -- Australia's highest military honour -- for "conspicuous gallantry" in Afghanistan while on the hunt for a senior Taliban commander.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Swinney's uncle, Cpl Tom Hunter, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross after dying at Lake Comacchio in Italy months before the end of World War Two.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

Stories include those like Khudadad Khan's - the first Muslim to be awarded the Victoria Cross in 1914.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025

Corporal Sidney Bates posthumously received Britain's Victoria Cross for "supreme gallantry" after repeatedly charging a critical German position with a light machine gun before dying of his wounds.

From Reuters • Nov. 12, 2023

We found—but I suppose even Victoria Cross heroes must dirty their socks.

From The Sea and the Jungle by Tomlinson, H. M. (Henry Major)