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Synonyms

bonus

American  
[boh-nuhs] / ˈboʊ nəs /

noun

plural

bonuses
  1. something given or paid over and above what is due.

    Synonyms:
    gift, honorarium, reward
  2. a sum of money granted or given to an employee, a returned soldier, etc., in addition to regular pay, usually in appreciation for work done, length of service, accumulated favors, etc.

  3. something free, as an extra dividend, given by a corporation to a purchaser of its securities.

  4. a premium paid for a loan, contract, etc.

  5. something extra or additional given freely.

    Every purchaser of a pound of coffee received a box of cookies as a bonus.


bonus British  
/ ˈbəʊnəs /

noun

  1. something given, paid, or received above what is due or expected

    a Christmas bonus for all employees

  2. an extra dividend allotted to shareholders out of profits

  3. insurance a dividend, esp a percentage of net profits, distributed to policyholders either annually or when the policy matures

  4. a slang word for a bribe

"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

Related Words

Bonus, bounty, premium refer to something extra beyond a stipulated payment. A bonus is a gift to reward performance, paid either by a private employer or by a government: a bonus based on salary; a soldiers' bonus. A bounty is a public aid or reward offered to stimulate interest in a specific purpose or undertaking and to encourage performance: a bounty for killing wolves. A premium is usually something additional given as an inducement to buy, produce, or the like: a premium received with a magazine subscription. See also present 2.

Etymology

Origin of bonus

1765–75; < Latin: good

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.

Less demand from drillers also means he takes home smaller bonus payments.

From The Wall Street Journal

People can earn a $250 referral bonus by getting others to sign on with Mercor, contributing to a flood of job postings on LinkedIn and speculation that the whole thing must be a scam.

From The Wall Street Journal

And a reminder that it's four points for a win, with bonus points available for scoring four tries and losing by seven points or fewer.

From BBC

“Companies don’t want to give out big bonuses. They don’t want to give out as many promotions. They don’t want to give many big pay increases,” she said.

From MarketWatch

He sends handwritten notes to employees who receive bonuses or retire, often following a familiar script but never taking a shortcut past paper and ink.

From The Wall Street Journal