reward
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
to recompense or requite (a person or animal) for service, merit, achievement, etc.
- Synonyms:
- remunerate, pay, compensate
-
to make return for or requite (service, merit, etc.); recompense.
noun
-
something given or received in return for a deed or service rendered
-
a sum of money offered, esp for help in finding a criminal or for the return of lost or stolen property
-
profit or return
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something received in return for good or evil; deserts
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psychol any pleasant event that follows a response and therefore increases the likelihood of the response recurring in the future
verb
Related Words
Reward, prize, recompense imply something given in return for good. A reward is something given or done in return for good (or, more rarely, evil) received; it may refer to something abstract or concrete: a $50 reward; Virtue is its own reward. Prize refers to something concrete offered as a reward of merit, or to be contested for and given to the winner: to win a prize for an essay. A recompense is something given or done, whether as reward or punishment, for acts performed, services rendered, etc.; or it may be something given in compensation for loss or injury suffered, etc.: Renown was his principal recompense for years of hard work.
Other Word Forms
- misreward verb (used with object)
- overreward verb
- rewardable adjective
- rewardableness noun
- rewardably adverb
- rewarder noun
- rewardless adjective
- superreward verb (used with object)
- unrewardable adjective
- unrewarded adjective
- well-rewarded adjective
Etymology
Origin of reward
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (verb) rewarden originally, “to regard,” from Old North French rewarder “to look at,” variant of Old French reguarder; regard
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
State Department is offering up to a $5-million reward for information leading to Valencia’s arrest.
From Los Angeles Times
A steep decline in Bitcoin’s price drove the disappointing results since miners are rewarded with coins for verifying blockchain transactions.
From Barron's
George told the PA news agency he had found it "really rewarding" to speak to people about his and their conditions as his recovery continues.
From BBC
But their quest ended with the spirits’ reassurance, “God will reward you.”
From Literature
Block, the parent company of Square and the Cash App, is conducting a major reorganization in the age of artificial intelligence, and investors are rewarding the move.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
