ENGLISH
REFERENCE

trophy

n. countable
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈtɹoʊfi// UK //tɹˈəʊfi// tro·phy Archaic

n. a prize, like a gold cup or a statue, that you get for winning a competition or a game. It shows everyone that you were the best.

n. a decorative object, such as a cup or plaque, awarded as a prize for a victory or success. In its architectural sense, it refers to a carved ornament representing a group of weapons or spoils of war.


SIMPLE

The captain holds the trophy high after the final whistle.

CONTEXTUAL

After winning the local tennis tournament, she placed the silver trophy on the shelf in her living room.

COMPLEX

The museum's collection includes several ornate trophies from the seventeenth century, originally designed to celebrate military triumphs through elaborate stone carvings of shields and banners.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle French trophée, from Latin trophaeum (“a sign of victory, a monument”), tropaeum, from Ancient Greek τρόπαιον (trópaion, “monument of an enemy's defeat”), from neuter of τροπαῖος (tropaîos, “of defeat”), from τροπή (tropḗ, “a rout, a turning of an enemy”).

Usage

Commonly used with verbs like 'win', 'award', or 'lift'.

Idioms1 entry

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