booby prize

noun

1
: an award for the poorest performance in a game or competition
2
: an acknowledgment of notable inferiority

Examples of booby prize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
After a number of more senior members failed to win enough support, the booby prize went to Johnson. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024 The booby prize goes to Facebook. Abram Brown, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2021 In body stiffness, though, the XJS takes the booby prize, flexing and shaking more than the others. Kevin Smith, Car and Driver, 30 Dec. 2022 And a booby prize awaits for whichever team happens to finish second: a possible date with England in London in the round of 16. Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 22 June 2021 Right now, that seems like more a booby prize than a reward. Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2021 The fact that a currently underemployed Democrat who was at 0 to 1 percent in the polls is now treating a chance to serve in the most elite legislative body in the country as a massive booby prize is a remarkable statement about the institution. Jennifer Steinhauer, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2019 The booby prize for whichever team scrapes together to finish as Group D’s runner-up is a likely round-of-16 matchup with France. Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 24 June 2018 The similarly unusual F Cinemascore is often a sign of misleading marketing—like audiences expecting mother!, the most recent honoree of that booby prize, to be a straightforward horror film. David Sims, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of booby prize was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near booby prize

Cite this Entry

“Booby prize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/booby%20prize. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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