(prizes, prizing, prized)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
Note: The spelling 'prise' is also used in British English for meanings 5 and 6.
1.
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...
They were going all out for the prize-money, ?6,500 for the winning team.
N-COUNT
2.
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.
ADJ: ADJ n
3.
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.
N-COUNT
4.
Something that is prized is wanted and admired because it is considered to be very valuable or very good quality.
Military figures, made out of lead are prized by collectors...
One of the gallery's most prized possessions is the portrait of Ginevra da Vinci.
VERB: usu passive, be V-ed, V-ed
5.
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; in AM, usually use pry
)
He tried to prize the dog's mouth open...
I prised off the metal rim surrounding one of the dials...
He held on tight but she prised it from his fingers.
VERB: V n with adj, V n with adv, V n out of/from n
6.
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
)
Alison and I had to prize conversation out of him.
VERB: V n out of n, also V n with out