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bonus

[ boh-nuhs ]
/ ˈboʊ nəs /
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noun, plural bo·nus·es.
something given or paid over and above what is due.
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.
something free, as an extra dividend, given by a corporation to a purchaser of its securities.
a premium paid for a loan, contract, etc.
something extra or additional given freely: Every purchaser of a pound of coffee received a box of cookies as a bonus.

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Origin of bonus

1765–75; <Latin: good

synonym study for bonus

1, 2. 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 present2.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bonus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bonus

bonus
/ (ˈbəʊnəs) /

noun
something given, paid, or received above what is due or expecteda Christmas bonus for all employees
mainly British an extra dividend allotted to shareholders out of profits
insurance, British a dividend, esp a percentage of net profits, distributed to policyholders either annually or when the policy matures
British a slang word for a bribe

Word Origin for bonus

C18: from Latin bonus (adj) good
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
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