trophy UK /ˈtɹəʊfi/US /ˈtɹoʊfi/noun 8verb 2forms 3phrases 1 noun8 •a cup or small figure won in a game or given for doing something very wellHe won the trophy in a running competition. •An object taken as a prize by a hunter, or a conqueror or belligerent, especially one that is displayed.The set of antlers which hung on the wall was his prized trophy. •An object taken by a serial killer or rapist as a memento of the crime. •An animal killed by a trophy hunter that usually has its parts sold on the black market. •Any emblem of success; a status symbol.His trophies included his second wife, his successful children, the third and fourth homes in Palm Beach and Malibu, and his three yachts. •An artifact or artwork that has been stolen by a criminal and traded on the black market. •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.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 •(historical) A tropaeum. verb2 •To win a trophy in a competition.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 •To adorn (someone) with trophies.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. — 1798 formstrophied · trophying · trophies Phrases with trophy trophy wifeA wife, usually young and attractive, regarded as a status symbol for her husband, usually older and affluent.
