Meaning & use
consolation trophy
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Meanings
nouncountable
A small prize given to someone who did not win a competition, usually as a way to comfort them.
Grammar: Countable noun phrase; use a/an or a plural: they handed out consolation trophies.
Patterns
- a consolation trophy for someone
- win/receive a consolation trophy
- be given a consolation trophy
The team lost the final but took home a consolation trophy.
She was disappointed with second place, though she accepted the consolation trophy politely.
The organizers gave every child a consolation trophy so that no one felt left out.
nouncountablefigurative
Something that gives slight comfort after a failure or loss, especially when it is not what was really wanted.
Grammar: Used figuratively in the same countable pattern: the deal was a consolation trophy.
Patterns
- be a consolation trophy for someone
- serve as a consolation trophy
The small role in the film felt like a consolation trophy after he missed the main part.
For the company, the award was a consolation trophy after losing the bigger contract.
Word forms
| plural | consolation trophies |
|---|
Common combinations
- a consolation prize
- The runner-up received a consolation prize of a gift card.
- a consolation goal
- They scored a consolation goal in the last minute.
- win a consolation trophy
- The young player won a consolation trophy in the regional contest.
- hand out consolation trophies
- The coaches handed out consolation trophies to all the participants.
Synonyms and how they differ
- consolation prize
- Much more common than 'consolation trophy' and can be any kind of reward, not just a trophy.
- runner-up award
- More neutral and formal; it does not suggest that the prize is meant to comfort someone.
Word family
- console verb
- To comfort someone who is sad or disappointed.
- consolation noun
- Comfort given to someone who has lost or failed.
Commonly confused: consolation trophy or consolation prize?
consolation trophy vs consolation prize
The usual phrase is 'consolation prize'; 'consolation trophy' is used mainly when the prize is actually a trophy.
Practice
After losing the championship, the team was given a ______.
Choose one answer.
The singular 'consolation trophy' fits after 'a'. The plural 'trophies' cannot follow 'a', and the other options are ungrammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “consolation trophy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.