DictionaryAI

award

uh-WORD/əˈwɔɹd/UKuh-WAWD/əˈwɔːd/

Pluralawards

Verbawards, awarding, awarded

8 meanings of award

Practice

  1. 1
    prizenouncountable
    A prize, medal, or trophy given to recognize an achievement, especially one earned in a competition.

    The novel earned its author a major literary award.

    Volunteers received an award for their work during the floods.

    UsageYou win or receive an award for something. Compare reward, which is given in return for help or good behavior.

    Similarprize, honor, accolade

  2. 2
    present (prize)verbtransitive
    To give someone a prize, medal, or honor, especially in recognition of merit or achievement.

    The festival will award its highest honor to the documentary.

    The academy will award her a lifetime achievement medal at next spring's ceremony.

    Usageaward someone a prize, or award a prize to someone. In the passive: she was awarded the prize.

  3. 3
    verbtransitive
    Of a court, jury, or arbitrator: to decide that someone should receive money, property, or rights, and grant it.

    The tribunal may award compensation when it finds the employer at fault.

    The court awarded the plaintiff a substantial sum for breach of contract.

    UsageUsually of money: award damages or compensation to someone, or award someone a sum.

    Note

    The legal sense keeps the word's origin in view: Anglo-Norman awarder goes back to Medieval Latin wardare, "to observe, regard," so the verb still implies a decision reached by looking closely at the case. Dryden's Virgil of 1697 even awards a sentence itself: "award a new."

  4. 4
    nouncountable
    Money granted to support the conduct of a particular research project.

    The grant award covered three years of fieldwork.

    Her lab depends on a federal award to pay its researchers.

    UsageOften grant award. Researchers apply for an award and receive one from a funder.

    Similargrant

    Note

    Academic administration's word for money already won. Once a proposal succeeds, the funding becomes an award, tied to one named project and spent on carrying it out. A prize in the sense of a medal or trophy is a different thing: it honors work already done, while this award pays for work still ahead.

  5. 5
    verbtransitive
    To grant a contract, license, points, penalty or similar thing to someone formally, as the outcome of a decision or a selection process.

    The state plans to award broadcasting licenses to three new companies this year.

    The judges awarded her nine points for a nearly perfect dive.

    Similargrant, give, allot, assign

    Oppositewithhold

Less common meanings

  1. 6
    nouncountable
    A decision reached by arbitrators or a court, especially one granting a sum of money, or the document that sets it out.

    The arbitration award was final and binding on both parties.

    Either party may challenge the award only on narrow legal grounds.

    Note

    Here the word's history shows through. Anglo-Norman awarder comes from a Medieval Latin verb built on wardare, "to observe, guard," which makes it kin to ward, guard and regard. At root, an award is a decision reached by looking closely at a case. Outside arbitration, a trial report can use the award for the sum of damages itself, the result of the legal verb.

  2. 7
    give marksverbBritishtransitive
    To give marks for a correct answer in an examination.

    Markers award two marks for showing the correct method.

    The board awards extra marks for clear, well-structured answers.

    UsageThe pattern is award marks for something: award two marks for the correct method.

    Similargive

    Oppositededuct

    Note

    British examining uses this verb for marking. What changes hands is points on a mark scheme, not prizes, which keeps it apart from the prize-giving verb.

  3. 8
    wage rulesnounAustraliaNew Zealandcountable
    A legal ruling by an industrial tribunal that sets minimum wages and employment conditions for a particular trade or industry.

    The modern award sets out penalty rates for weekend shifts.

    Employers must pay at least the rate fixed by the relevant award.

    UsageWorkers are covered by an award and paid award rates or award wages.

    Note

    In Australian industrial relations, and in New Zealand until its national awards were abolished in 1991, an award is a floor rather than a prize. A worker paid "award only" earns no more than the award rate. Collective agreements are measured against the award: Mark Wooden's The Transformation of Australian Industrial Relations (2000) asks how much of the award an agreement replaced. Readers elsewhere should not take it for an honor.

Practice

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Origin

Latin ex ('out') joined wardare or guardare ('to observe, regard, guard') in Medieval Latin *exwardare, which became Anglo-Norman awarder and Middle English awarden; ward, guard, and regard are related words.