as in decorations
a piece of metal given in honor of a special event, a person, or an achievement
the display case held an impressive array of military medals from World War II
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Recent Examples of medals
With the largest delegation of any country at the Games, the United States won the second-most medals with 33, including 12 golds, the most Olympic titles for the country at any single Winter Games.
—
Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Advertisement To Glenn, Liu, and Levito, such expressions take precedence over medals or standings.
—Alice Park, Time, 22 Feb. 2026
Junior Molly Kennedy, from Prospect, was most outstanding swimmer, collecting seven of the Owls’ 20 medals, six gold.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 22 Feb. 2026
Norway ended Milan Cortina 2026 with a record 18 golds – and 41 total medals.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Athletes won and lost medals every day, had their moment or two in the spotlight, and then moved along.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
The United Kingdom does not award cash bonuses for Olympic medals, meaning Team Great Britain athletes will not receive additional payments for podium finishes in 2026.
—Lee Ying Shan,sydney Goh, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
Elana Meyers Taylor has five Olympic medals already, the most by any Black woman in Winter Games history.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
No two Olympic medals are earned the same way.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Advertisement To Glenn, Liu, and Levito, such expressions take precedence over medals or standings.
—Alice Park, Time, 22 Feb. 2026
Junior Molly Kennedy, from Prospect, was most outstanding swimmer, collecting seven of the Owls’ 20 medals, six gold.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 22 Feb. 2026
Norway ended Milan Cortina 2026 with a record 18 golds – and 41 total medals.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
Athletes won and lost medals every day, had their moment or two in the spotlight, and then moved along.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
The United Kingdom does not award cash bonuses for Olympic medals, meaning Team Great Britain athletes will not receive additional payments for podium finishes in 2026.
—Lee Ying Shan,sydney Goh, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
Elana Meyers Taylor has five Olympic medals already, the most by any Black woman in Winter Games history.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
No two Olympic medals are earned the same way.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for medals
Noun
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The most elaborate of these suites spanned the top floors of houses and were filled with thoughtful decorations and toys.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
22 Feb. 2026
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Throughout the procession, tributes to the Year of the Horse appeared in many forms, including school mascots, papier-mâché horse heads and inflatable decorations.—
Eva Remijan-Toba,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Not only in the stands that hold 80,000 people, but also on the grounds and walkways, too—every tunnel, ingress point, and food stand had a line, with mostly Italian insignia on view, though there was tons of American regalia too.—
Nick Remsen,
Vogue,
6 Feb. 2026
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Of all the hats Herschel Bloom wore during his life, his favorite was a baseball cap with the Yankees insignia on it, his friends said.—
Rebecca McCarthy,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Even after Powell’s first-round exit on Saturday, the Heat still stands alone as the only NBA team with five Three-Point Contest trophies.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
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Morikawa lifted two major championship trophies before his 25th birthday, but the last few seasons haven’t been so easy.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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When the brothers came face-to-face, each wearing a vest and medallions and bell-bottoms, the mirror image unnerved them both.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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Once can combine a gold chain for a necklace or bracelet with pieces from a wide assortment of medallions, charms, initials, and other designs with talisman appeal.—
Laurie Brookins,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Medals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/medals. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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