trophy

¹

[ troh-fee ]

noun

, plural tro·phies.

1. anything taken in war, hunting, competition, etc., especially when preserved as a memento; spoil, prize, or award.
2. anything serving as a token or evidence of victory, valor, skill, etc.:

   a sports trophy.

3. a symbol of success that is used to impress others:

   He bought the lavish home as a trophy.

4. a carving, painting, or other representation of objects associated with or symbolic of victory or achievement.
5. any memento or memorial.
6. a memorial erected by certain ancient peoples, especially the Greeks and Romans, in commemoration of a victory in war and consisting of arms or other spoils taken from the enemy and hung upon a tree, pillar, or the like.

adjective

1. noting or relating to a symbol of success that is used to impress others:

   They just want a near-perfect trophy child to brag about.

-trophy

²

1. a combining form used in the formation of nouns with the general senses “nourishment, feeding” ( mycotrophy ), “growth” ( hypertrophy ); also forming abstract nouns corresponding to adjectives ending in -trophic.

-trophy

¹

combining form

1. indicating a certain type of nourishment or growth

   dystrophy

trophy

²

/ ˈtrəʊfɪ /

noun

1. an object such as a silver or gold cup that is symbolic of victory in a contest, esp a sporting contest; prize
2. a memento of success, esp one taken in war or hunting
3. in ancient Greece and Rome
   1. a memorial to a victory, usually consisting of captured arms raised on the battlefield or in a public place
   2. a representation of such a memorial
4. an ornamental carving that represents a group of weapons, etc
5. informal.
   modifier highly desirable and regarded as a symbol of wealth or success

   a trophy wife

Derived Forms

• -trophic, combining_form:in_adjective

Other Words From

• trophy·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of trophy¹

1505–15; earlier trophe < French trophée < Latin trop ( h ) aeum < Greek trópaion, noun use of neuter of trópaios, Attic variant of tropaîos of turning or putting to flight, equivalent to trop ( ḗ ) a turning (akin to trépein to turn) + -aios adj. suffix. See trope

Origin of trophy²

< Greek -trophia nutrition, equivalent to troph ( ḗ ) food + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of trophy¹

from Greek -trophia , from trophē nourishment

Origin of trophy²

C16: from French trophée , from Latin tropaeum , from Greek tropaion , from tropē a turning, defeat of the enemy; related to Greek trepein to turn

Example Sentences

History and hindsight have made it a little difficult to contextualize what the Lakers accomplished last winter, the team hoisting a trophy and hanging a banner after winning the NBA’s first in-season tournament championship.

From Los Angeles Times

Indeed, it may be some blue-sky thinking from a player, no matter how brilliant, who has not won a trophy in his career for club or country.

From BBC

The prize, worth about $53,000, and trophy were presented to Harvey at a ceremony in London by Paul Lynch, the 2023 winner with “Prophet Song.”

From Los Angeles Times

Last Oscar season, Christopher Nolan proved that Academy voters can and will award their top trophy to a major hit: “Oppenheimer,” the director’s moody biopic about the scientist who developed the atomic bomb, ranks as the third highest grossing best picture winner, exponentially more successful at the box office than its recent predecessors.

From Los Angeles Times

This year’s box-office leader, “Inside Out 2,” has already brought in $1.7 billion worldwide and at the very least will contend for the animated film trophy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• citation
• crown
• cup
• decoration
• gold
• keepsake
• medal
• memento
• prize
• souvenir