prize

¹

[ prahyz ]

noun

1. a reward for victory or superiority, as in a contest or competition.

   Synonyms: premium

2. something that is won in a lottery or the like.
3. anything striven for, worth striving for, or much valued.
4. something seized or captured, especially an enemy's ship and cargo captured at sea in wartime.
5. the act of taking or capturing, especially a ship at sea.
6. Archaic. a contest or match.

adjective

1. having won a prize:

   a prize bull; a prize play.

2. worthy of a prize.
3. given or awarded as a prize.
4. being an excellent example of something, especially something undesirable:

   He makes his daughter's husband feel like a prize idiot whenever they get together.

prize

²

[ prahyz ]

verb (used with object)

prized, prizing.

1. to value or esteem highly.
2. to estimate the worth or value of.

prize

³

or prise

[ prahyz ]

noun

prized, prizing.

1. pry ².

prize

¹

/ praɪz /

verb

1. a variant spelling of prise

prize

²

/ praɪz /

verb

1. tr to esteem greatly; value highly

prize

³

/ praɪz /

noun

1. 1. a reward or honour for victory or for having won a contest, competition, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      prize jockey

      prize essay

2. something given to the winner of any game of chance, lottery, etc
3. something striven for
4. any valuable property captured in time of war, esp a vessel

Word History and Origins

Origin of prize¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; in senses referring to something seized, continuing Middle English prise “something captured, a seizing, requisition,” from Old French prise “capture (of a ship), booty,” from Vulgar Latin prēsa, prēnsa (unrecorded), from Latin pre(hē)nsa, noun use of feminine past participle of pre(he)ndere “to take, grasp, seize”; in senses referring to something won, spelling variant since the late 16th century of Middle English pris(e) price

Origin of prize²

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English prisen “to set a price, appraise,” from Middle French prisier, priser, variants of Old French preisier “to value, appraise”; praise

Origin of prize³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun prise, from Middle French prise “a hold, grasp,” from Latin pre(hē)nsa; prize ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of prize¹

C15 prise, from Old French preisier to praise

Origin of prize²

C14: from Old French prise a capture, from Latin prehendere to seize; influenced also by Middle English prise reward; see price

Synonym Study

See reward.

Example Sentences

I was at the Tony Awards the year that “ “Avenue Q” grabbed the night’s best musical prize out from under “Wicked’s” expected victory march.

From Los Angeles Times

No prizes for guessing where they are heading.

From BBC

The movie has won numerous honors, starting with its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and including prizes this week from the New York Film Critics Circle and the Gotham Awards.

From Los Angeles Times

"Squid Game" revolves around a secret competition in which hundreds of contestants experiencing financial hardship participate in children's game in hopes of winning a massive cash prize.

From Salon

Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globe split most of their categories in two, with one award for dramas and a separate prize for musicals/comedies.

From BBC

Related Words

• outstanding
• topnotch

When To Use

What are other ways to say prize?

To prize something is to value or esteem it highly. How is prize different from esteem, value, and appreciate? Find out on Thesaurus.com.