trophy — English Dictionary

Noun

1. An object, usually in the form of a statuette, cup, or shield, awarded for success in a competition or to mark a special achievement.

   Examples

   He won the trophy in a running competition.

2. An object taken as a prize by a hunter, or a conqueror or belligerent, especially one that is displayed.

   Examples

   The set of antlers which hung on the wall was his prized trophy.

   Around the posts hung helmets, darts, and spears, / And captive chariots, axes, shields, and bars, / And broken beaks of ships, the trophies of their wars.

   More examples (2)

   They carried the dripping scalps of his companions, and one had skinned off Baptiste's black beard as well, for a trophy.

   Similarly, the Soviet defence industry tested their guns by firing against German trophy tanks or fired against new Soviet vehicles with German guns or German ammunition.

3. Any emblem of success; a status symbol.

   Examples

   His trophies included his second wife, his successful children, the third and fourth homes in Palm Beach and Malibu, and his three yachts.

   “The stakes are getting so high,” Mr. MacDonald-Korth said in a telephone interview, referring to the skyrocketing amounts being paid for trophy works of art.

4. An object taken by a serial killer or rapist as a memento of the crime.

   Usage

   • broadly

5. A tropæum.

   Usage

   • Ancient-Rome
   • Historical

6. A display of weaponry and other militaria, often captured from a defeated enemy, as an ornament designed for the purpose of triumphalist display by a victor or as a show of military prowess by a monarch.

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   The souvenirs which many killers retain of their victims are often described as trophies, and Norman Bates's taxidermic interests derived from the real-life Ed Gein.

   A trophy from this murder would have been of great importance.

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   The offender is also likely to mentally relive his killings, often with the help of souvenirs or trophies, such as a bracelet or a body part taken from the victim.

7. An artifact or artwork that has been stolen by a criminal and traded on the black market.

8. An animal killed by a trophy hunter that usually has its parts sold on the black market.

Verb

1. To adorn (someone) with trophies.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

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   How many a night serene, shall I behold / Those vvarm attractive orbits, close inshrined / In ether, over vvhich Love's column rose / Marmoreal, trophied round vvith golden hair.

2. To win a trophy in a competition.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   He trophied at the 1993, 1994, 2012 and 2015 National Championships and was most proud of winning his class at the 2017 Spring Nationals.

Noun

1. an award for success in war or hunting

   Broader terms

   awardaccoladehonorhonourlaurels

2. something given as a token of victory

   Synonyms

   prize

   Broader terms

   awardaccoladehonorhonourlaurels