a reward or honour for victory or for having won a contest, competition, etc (as modifier): prize jockey, prize essay something given to the winner of any game of chance, lottery, etc something striven for any valuable property captured in time of war, esp a vessel
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
prize1 /praɪz/USA pronunciation
n.
adj. [before a noun]
prize2 /praɪz/USA pronunciation v. [~ + object], prized, priz•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- a reward for victory, as in a contest or competition: [countable]She won a prize for her science exhibit.[uncountable* usually with some word indicating rank]She won first prize in the science exhibit.
- [countable] something won in a lottery or the like.
- anything that one tries to achieve or gain;
something much valued:[countable]He thought of her as a prize to be won.
adj. [before a noun]
- having won a prize:a prize play.
- worthy of a prize:his prize collection of stamps.
- given or awarded as a prize:prize money.
- (used before a noun to express the opinion that something is a perfect or typical example of that noun):That was one of his prize blunders.
prize2 /praɪz/USA pronunciation v. [~ + object], prized, priz•ing.
- to value (something) highly.
prize1
(prīz),USA pronunciation n.
adj.
prize2 (prīz),USA pronunciation v.t., prized, priz•ing.
prize3 (prīz),USA pronunciation v., prized, priz•ing, n.
v.t.
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- a reward for victory or superiority, as in a contest or competition.
- something that is won in a lottery or the like.
- anything striven for, worth striving for, or much valued.
- something seized or captured, esp. an enemy's ship and cargo captured at sea in wartime.
- the act of taking or capturing, esp. a ship at sea.
- [Archaic.]a contest or match.
adj.
- having won a prize:a prize bull; a prize play.
- worthy of a prize.
- given or awarded as a prize.
- Latin pre(hē)nsa, noun, nominal use of feminine past participle of pre(he)ndere to take; in senses referring to something won, spelling, spelled variant of price (Middle English pris(e)) since the late 16th century
- Middle French
- in senses referring to something seized, continuing Middle English prise something captured, a seizing 1250–1300
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged premium. See reward.
prize2 (prīz),USA pronunciation v.t., prized, priz•ing.
- to value or esteem highly.
- to estimate the worth or value of.
- Middle French prisier, variant of preisier to praise
- Middle English prisen 1325–75
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See appreciate.
prize3 (prīz),USA pronunciation v., prized, priz•ing, n.
v.t.
- pry2.
n.
- leverage.
- a lever.
- Latin pre(hē)nsa. See prize1
- Middle French: a hold, grasp
- Middle English prise 1350–1400
prise
(prīz),USA pronunciation v.t., prised, pris•ing, n.
- prize3.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
- (transitive)
to esteem greatly; value highly
- a variant spelling of prise
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
to force open by levering to extract or obtain with difficulty: they had to prise the news out of him