Nobel Prize

noun

No·​bel Prize nō-ˈbel- How to pronounce Nobel Prize (audio)
ˈnō-ˌbel-
: any of various annual prizes (as in peace, literature, medicine) established by the will of Alfred Nobel for the encouragement of persons who work for the interests of humanity

called also Nobel

Examples of Nobel Prize in a Sentence

He won the Nobel Prize for economics.
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.
What began in 1996 as a novel concept, with just 73 categories, has become for all intents and purposes, the Nobel Prize of beauty. — Hunter Lacey, Allure, 16 Oct. 2026 The 2026 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine honored Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their work developing optogenetics – a technique that allows researchers to control the activity of neurons with light. — Karl Deisseroth, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2026 In the pre-AI era, at least a dozen of those results could have merited any human mathematician a Fields Medal—math’s Nobel Prize. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026 On Monday morning, the world's econ nerds tuned in to an announcement from Sweden to learn who won this year's Nobel Prize in economics. — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for Nobel Prize

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Nobel Prize was in 1897

Rhymes for Nobel Prize

See All Rhymes for Nobel Prize

Browse Nearby Words

nobelium
Nobel Prize
no better
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nobel Prize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Nobel%20Prize. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

Nobel Prize

noun
No·​bel Prize (ˌ)nō-ˌbel- How to pronounce Nobel Prize (audio)
: an annual prize (as in literature, medicine, peace) established by the will of Alfred Nobel for the encouragement of people who work for the interests of humanity

More from Merriam-Webster on Nobel Prize

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Nobel Prize

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All