prize
prize Lexical Profile
prize Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A reward, trophy, or sum of money given to the winner of a competition, game, or lottery, or in recognition of an outstanding achievement.
"She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for her groundbreaking research on lasers."
Something of great value that is worth striving for or is difficult to obtain.
"The historic building was considered the ultimate prize by competing real estate developers."
An enemy ship or cargo captured at sea during wartime under the laws of naval warfare.
"The privateer towed the captured merchant vessel into port as a lawful prize."
• adjective
Having won, or worthy of winning, an award; outstanding or supreme as an example of its kind.
"The farmer proudly displayed his prize pumpkin at the county agricultural fair."
British Used as an intensifier to denote an extreme, utter, or complete example of something undesirable.
"He made a prize fool of himself by arguing with the referee."
• verb
To value, esteem, or cherish something highly.
"The museum prizes the ancient manuscript as the centerpiece of its historical collection."
To move, force, or lift something open with a lever or by prying.
"The carpenter used a metal bar to prize the old floorboards up from the joists."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a verb meaning to force open with a lever (a mainly British usage), 'prize' is also spelled 'prise', and corresponds to the American English verb 'pry'.
• Rhymes for prize
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The word represents a convergence of three related Old French roots: 'pris' (meaning price, value, or reward, from Latin 'pretium'), 'prise' (meaning a seizure or capture, from Latin 'prehendere' meaning to grasp), and 'prisier' (meaning to value or esteem).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.