medals

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of medal.

   The museum displays a row of bronze medals from the early Olympic games.

   Volunteers polished the commemorative medals before the awards ceremony.

   Note

   The plural keeps both of the noun's meanings. Medals can be prizes or rewards, like Olympic bronzes or service decorations. They can also be ornaments, charms or religious objects, like a saint's medal worn on a chain. The same spelling also serves the verb form for winning, so in a sentence like "she medals every season" the word is a verb, not a noun.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of medal.

   The veteran sprinter still medals at major international meets.

   If the gymnast lands her routine cleanly, she medals for the third year running.

   Note

   Two verbs share this form, and an object tells them apart. With no object it means wins a medal, a colloquial sports-page use: the sprinter medals at every major meet. With an object it means awards a medal to: the federation medals each finisher. Because the winning sense is informal, careful prose usually prefers "wins a medal" or "takes a medal."

Showing meanings only. Show all 2