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baksheesh

American  
[bak-sheesh, bak-sheesh] / ˈbæk ʃiʃ, bækˈʃiʃ /
Or bakshish,

noun

  1. a tip, present, or gratuity.

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to give a tip.

baksheesh British  
/ ˈbækʃiːʃ /

noun

  1. money given as a tip, a present, or alms

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to give such money to (a person)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of baksheesh

First recorded in 1615–25, baksheesh is from the Persian word bakhshish gift

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.

He was shocked by conditions he saw in India: the opium dens of Calcutta, the wandering lepers crying "Baksheesh," the filth and poverty of the villages.

From Time Magazine Archive

Baksheesh, currently in wide use in the Middle East, is a Persian word that is also found in Turkish and Arabic.

From Time Magazine Archive

Lebanese resented the nickname their country was getting: the Baksheesh State.

From Time Magazine Archive

Baksheesh will make the dead give up their secrets.

From There was a King in Egypt by Lorimer, Norma

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.