1
: something offered or striven for in competition or in contests of chance
also
: premium sense 1d
2
: something exceptionally desirable
3
archaic
: a contest for a reward : competition
1
a
: awarded or worthy of a prize
b
: awarded as a prize
c
: entered for the sake of a prize
a prize drawing
2
: outstanding of a kind
raised prize hogs
prized; prizing
1
: something taken by force, stratagem, or threat
especially
: property lawfully captured at sea in time of war
2
: an act of capturing or taking
especially
: the wartime capture of a ship and its cargo at sea
Synonyms
Noun (1)
Adjective
- A-OK
- A1
- awesome
- bang-up
- banner
- beautiful
- blue-chip
- blue-ribbon
- boffo
- bonny [chiefly British]
- bonnie
- boss [slang]
- brag
- brave
- bully
- bumper
- capital
- choice
- classic
- cool [slang]
- corking
- crackerjack
- cracking
- dandy
- divine
- dope [slang]
- down [slang]
- dynamite
- excellent
- fab
- fabulous
- famous
- fantabulous [slang]
- fantastic
- fine
- first-class
- first-rate
- first-string
- five-star
- four-star
- frontline
- gangbusters
- gangbuster
- gilt-edged
- gilt-edge
- gone [slang]
- grand
- great
- groovy
- heavenly
- high-class
- hot
- hype [slang]
- immense
- jim-dandy
- keen
- lovely
- marvelous
- marvellous
- mean
- neat
- nifty
- noble
- number one
- No. 1
- numero uno
- out-of-sight [slang]
- par excellence
- peachy
- peachy keen
- phat [slang]
- prime
- primo [slang]
- prizewinning
- quality
- radical [slang]
- righteous [slang]
- sensational
- slick
- splendid
- stellar
- sterling
- superb
- superior
- superlative
- supernal
- swell
- terrific
- tip-top
- top
- top-notch
- top-of-the-line
- top-shelf
- topflight
- topping [chiefly British]
- unsurpassed
- wizard [chiefly British]
- wonderful
Verb (1)
Verb (2)
Examples of prize in a Sentence
Noun (1)
in the view of most of her friends, her current boyfriend is certainly no prize
the Pritzker Architecture Prize is the world's most prestigious honor in the field of architecture
Adjective
Dad brought back his prize catch, a three-foot striped bass.
I felt a prize fool for making such a stupid mistake.
Verb (1)
veterinarians know that pets are highly prized by their owners
Verb (2)
prizing the stubborn nails out of the board
trying to prize apart the jammed gears
Recent Examples on the Web
Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2024
Robert, in particular, is an advocate and ambassador for the prize.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 12 May 2024
Nemo broke the fragile prize shortly after receiving it, but was given a new one to replace it.
—Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
After spotting his winning number in a square marked with a $50,000 prize, the man asked a store clerk to double-check his ticket, lottery officials said.
—Don Sweeney, Miami Herald, 12 May 2024
This is the first year that a meal with Benioff, who is Salesforce’s Chairman and CEO, was the prize after Buffett raised $53 million for Glide over more than two decades of lunches.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 11 May 2024
The last winner of the Mega Millions big prize was the first of the year for the game.
—Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 11 May 2024
The prize must be claimed at the Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing.
—Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 9 May 2024
Alyona and Heil are offering a prize to one lucky donor.
—Fred Bronson, Billboard, 30 Apr. 2024
Paresh Dave, WIRED, 3 May 2024
For students and faculty who prize the spirit of free and open discussion in a trusted environment, the escalating tensions at Columbia over a Middle East conflict that shows no sign of ending are a sour note on which to end an academic year.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
The water rights Greenstone purchased in Cibola and sold to Queen Creek are fourth priority—permanently secured and prized.
—Maanvi Singh, WIRED, 20 Apr. 2024
That affordability is prized, especially in these inflationary times.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
The somewhat under-the-radar area, prized for its natural beauty, includes the prestigious Quinta do Lago resort, which borders the Ria Formosa National Park.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 18 Apr. 2024
As a result, wind and solar developers prize existing transmission lines, like those built to carry power from Colstrip and other coal plants to big cities.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Underneath the behaviors around food is often an intricate web of trauma, anxiety, and even genetic predisposition, all set against the backdrop of a culture that prizes thinness.
—Cole Kazdin, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
After baseball was introduced in Japan in 1872, tapping into a culture that prizes discipline and technique over raw strength and speed, its popularity exploded there.
—Jill Cowan, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
Noun
The driver who finishes higher on the leaderboard will advance over each of the five rounds, all the way to a $1 million prize for the winner.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2024
Robert, in particular, is an advocate and ambassador for the prize.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 12 May 2024
Nemo broke the fragile prize shortly after receiving it, but was given a new one to replace it.
—Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
After spotting his winning number in a square marked with a $50,000 prize, the man asked a store clerk to double-check his ticket, lottery officials said.
—Don Sweeney, Miami Herald, 12 May 2024
This is the first year that a meal with Benioff, who is Salesforce’s Chairman and CEO, was the prize after Buffett raised $53 million for Glide over more than two decades of lunches.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 11 May 2024
The last winner of the Mega Millions big prize was the first of the year for the game.
—Raphael Romero Ruiz, The Arizona Republic, 11 May 2024
The prize must be claimed at the Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing.
—Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 9 May 2024
Alyona and Heil are offering a prize to one lucky donor.
—Fred Bronson, Billboard, 30 Apr. 2024
Verb
The powerful processors are prized for their ability to crunch the math of crypto-mining at high speeds.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 3 May 2024
For students and faculty who prize the spirit of free and open discussion in a trusted environment, the escalating tensions at Columbia over a Middle East conflict that shows no sign of ending are a sour note on which to end an academic year.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
The water rights Greenstone purchased in Cibola and sold to Queen Creek are fourth priority—permanently secured and prized.
—Maanvi Singh, WIRED, 20 Apr. 2024
That affordability is prized, especially in these inflationary times.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
The somewhat under-the-radar area, prized for its natural beauty, includes the prestigious Quinta do Lago resort, which borders the Ria Formosa National Park.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 18 Apr. 2024
As a result, wind and solar developers prize existing transmission lines, like those built to carry power from Colstrip and other coal plants to big cities.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Underneath the behaviors around food is often an intricate web of trauma, anxiety, and even genetic predisposition, all set against the backdrop of a culture that prizes thinness.
—Cole Kazdin, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
After baseball was introduced in Japan in 1872, tapping into a culture that prizes discipline and technique over raw strength and speed, its popularity exploded there.
—Jill Cowan, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near prize
Cite this Entry
“Prize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prize. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prize
1 of 5 noun1
: something won or to be won in a contest
2
: something unusually valuable or eagerly sought
prize
2 of 5 adjective1
a
: awarded a prize
a prize essay
b
: awarded as a prize
prize money
2
: outstanding of its kind
a prize fool
a prize student
prize
4 of 5 noun
: something taken (as in war) especially at sea
Etymology
Noun
Middle English pris "prize, price, value," from early French pris (same meaning), from Latin pretium "price, money" — related to price
Verb
Middle English prisen "to appraise, esteem," from early French prisier (same meaning), from Latin pretiare (same meaning), from earlier pretium (noun) "price, value"
Noun
Middle English prise "something taken by force or threat," from early French prise "taking, seizure," from prendre "to take," from Latin prehendere "to take"
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