medal

1 of 2

noun

med·​al ˈme-dᵊl How to pronounce medal (audio)
1
: a small usually metal object bearing a religious emblem or picture
2
: a piece of metal often resembling a coin and having a stamped design that is issued to commemorate a person or event or awarded for excellence or achievement

medal

2 of 2

verb

medaled also medalled; medaling also medalling
ˈmed-liŋ,
ˈme-dᵊl-iŋ How to pronounce medal (audio)

intransitive verb

: to win a medal
medaled in figure skating

Examples of medal in a Sentence

Noun He was awarded a medal for his heroism. the display case held an impressive array of military medals from World War II Verb She medaled in figure skating in the Olympics.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
He had been awarded a Bronze Star for valor and had won numerous other medals during his time in the Marines, including two Marine Purple Heart medals. David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 Two more double golds followed in 2022 and 2023, which secured that platinum medal. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
The only time the American women didn’t medal: 1980, when the United States boycotted the Games in Moscow. Ben Golliver, Washington Post, 29 July 2024 Advertisement France will be the only Olympic host country besides the United States to play in the men’s basketball gold medal game and the first host nation to medal since 1996 in Atlanta. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for medal 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French medaille, from Old Italian medaglia coin worth half a denarius, medal, from Vulgar Latin *medalis half, alteration of Late Latin medialis middle, from Latin medius — more at mid

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of medal was circa 1578

Dictionary Entries Near medal

Cite this Entry

“Medal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medal. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

medal

noun
med·​al
ˈmed-ᵊl
: a piece of metal often in the form of a coin with design and words in honor of a special event, a person, or an achievement

More from Merriam-Webster on medal

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