Definition of "trophy"

trophy

/ˈtɹəʊfi/

noun
plural trophies
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.
2. An object taken as a prize by a hunter or conqueror, especially one that is displayed.
  Quotations
  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.
  1697, Virgil, “The Seventh Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […]
3. Any emblem of success; a status symbol.
  Quotations
  “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.
  2018 June 8, Scott Reyburn, “Art Is Becoming a Financial Product, and Blockchain Is Making It Happen”, in The New York Times‎
4. (criminology, by extension) An object taken by a serial killer or rapist as a memento of the crime.
5. (historical, Ancient Rome) A tropæum.
6. (art, architecture) 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.
  Quotations
  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.
  1994, Philip Jenkins, Using Murder: The Social Construction of Serial Homicide‎, page 117
  A trophy from this murder would have been of great importance.
  2001, R. Michael Gordon, Alias Jack the Ripper: Beyond the Usual Whitechapel Suspects‎, page 82
  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.
  2004, Ronald F. Becker, Criminal Investigation‎, page 168
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
third-person singular simple present trophies, present participle trophying, simple past and past participle trophied
1. (transitive) To adorn with trophies.
2. (intransitive) To win a trophy in a competition.
  Quotations
  He trophied at the 1993, 1994, 2012 and 2015 National Championships and was most proud of winning his class at the 2017 Spring Nationals.
  2021, “Harold C. 'Todd' Freeman, III”, in Star Tribune‎

Definition of "trophy"

trophy

noun

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verb

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