medal

1 of 2

noun

med·​al ˈme-dᵊl 

1

: a small usually metal object bearing a religious emblem or picture

2

: a piece of metal often resembling a coin and having a stamped design that is issued to commemorate a person or event or awarded for excellence or achievement

medal

2 of 2

verb

medaled also medalled; medaling also medalling

ˈmed-liŋ, 

ˈme-dᵊl-iŋ 

intransitive verb

: to win a medal

medaled in figure skating

Synonyms of medal

Noun

• decoration
• insignia
• trophy
• medallion

Examples of medal in a Sentence

Noun

He was awarded a medal for his heroism.

the display case held an impressive array of military medals from World War II

Verb

She medaled in figure skating in the Olympics.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Throughout her career, Jones has earned five medals during International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation competitions. —Mike Darnay, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026

This will be Shiffrin’s fourth consecutive Olympic appearance since Sochi 2014; her three medals were earned at those Games (slalom gold) as well as at Pyeongchang 2018 (giant slalom gold; super combined silver). —Michelle Bruton, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026

Verb

Now, Naumov will hope to medal in Italy next month. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 Jan. 2026

These are decisions that will be scrutinized heavily if the Americans don’t medal in Italy. —Michael Russo, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French medaille, from Old Italian medaglia coin worth half a denarius, medal, from Vulgar Latin *medalis half, alteration of Late Latin medialis middle, from Latin medius — more at mid

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1979, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing medal

• bronze medal
• deserve a medal
• gold medal
• medal play
• scapular medal
• service medal
• silver medal
• soldier's medal

Rhymes for medal

• bedell
• heddle
• meddle
• pedal
• peddle
• wedel
• bipedal
• intermeddle

Kids Definition

medal

noun

med·​al

ˈmed-ᵊl

: a piece of metal often in the form of a coin with design and words in honor of a special event, a person, or an achievement