- prize
- [[t]pra͟ɪz[/t]]
♦♦prizes, prizing, prized(The spelling prise is also used in British English for meanings 5 and 6.)1) N-COUNT A prize is money or something valuable that is given to someone who has the best results in a competition or game, or as a reward for doing good work.
You must claim your prize by telephoning our claims line...
He won first prize at the Leeds Piano Competition...
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1985...
They were going all out for the prize-money, ₤6,500 for the winning team.
2) ADJ: ADJ n You use prize to describe things that are of such good quality that they win prizes or deserve to win prizes....a prize bull.
...prize blooms.
3) N-COUNT You can refer to someone or something as a prize when people consider them to be of great value or importance.With no lands of his own, he was no great matrimonial prize.
4) VERB: usu passive Something that is prized is wanted and admired because it is considered to be very valuable or very good quality.[be V-ed] Military figures, made out of lead are prized by collectors...
[V-ed] One of the gallery's most prized possessions is the portrait of Ginevra da Vinci.
5) VERB If you prize something open or prize it away from a surface, you force it to open or force it to come away from the surface. [mainly BRIT][V n with adj] He tried to prize the dog's mouth open...
[V n with adv] I prised off the metal rim surrounding one of the dials...
(in AM, usually use pry)[V n out of/from n] Your dad would prise bullets out of old dead trees.
6) VERB If you prize something such as information out of someone, you persuade them to tell you although they may be very unwilling to. [mainly BRIT](in AM, usually use pry)[V n out of n] Alison and I had to prize conversation out of him. [Also V n with out]
English dictionary. 2008.
