A trophy is a special object awarded to someone who has won a competition or achieved something remarkable. When a soccer team wins the championship, they receive a trophy they can display in their school's case. When a scientist makes an important discovery, she might receive a trophy at an awards ceremony.

Most trophies are made from metal, wood, or plastic, and many feature a small statue or symbol on top representing the achievement: a golden figure kicking a soccer ball, a book for an academic competition, or a star for excellence. The trophy itself isn't valuable like money, but it represents hours of practice, determination, and success. It's a physical reminder of what someone accomplished.

People keep their trophies on shelves or in cases where they can see them and remember their victories. A spelling bee champion might keep her trophy on her desk, where it reminds her of all those evenings spent studying vocabulary words.

The word can also describe animals hunted and displayed rather than used for food. A hunter who mounts a deer's antlers on the wall has kept them as a trophy. Similarly, when someone collects things just to show off rather than use them, people sometimes call those items trophy possessions, suggesting they're valued more for status than genuine purpose.