bonus
Americannoun
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bonuses
plural
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something given or paid over and above what is due.
- Synonyms:
- gift, honorarium, reward
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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.
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something free, as an extra dividend, given by a corporation to a purchaser of its securities.
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a premium paid for a loan, contract, etc.
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something extra or additional given freely.
Every purchaser of a pound of coffee received a box of cookies as a bonus.
noun
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something given, paid, or received above what is due or expected
a Christmas bonus for all employees
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an extra dividend allotted to shareholders out of profits
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insurance a dividend, esp a percentage of net profits, distributed to policyholders either annually or when the policy matures
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a slang word for a bribe
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bonus
1765–75; < Latin: good
Explanation
A bonus is something extra, a benefit beyond what is expected. If you get a bonus at work, it could be extra money or another type of reward for a job well done. A bonus is usually extra financial compensation that is above and beyond an employee's normal base salary or hourly wage. Some other types of employee bonuses are stock options, gift cards, or extra paid time off. But a bonus doesn't have to be related to work. It can be any extra benefit — like a rebate from an insurance company for making no claims in a year. Or it can be something as simple as a warm smile from your favorite teacher as she returns your essay with an A+ on the top.
Vocabulary lists containing bonus
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Middle School
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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.
See Examples For:
Don’t miss: ‘It’s a double-edged sword’: My husband got a $42,000 bonus.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
She says the bonus should be the "cherry on top" and people shouldn't overlook other aspects such as the bank's reputation for service, any overdraft charges and what savings rate it offers.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Could you please explain how the bonus would affect our income and ACA subsidy, particularly since the bonus was for work performed in 2025?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
If the employer confirms the bonus was for work performed in 2025, filing the SSA-131 keeps it out of that calculation.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
“We park up front. There’s one bonus from being the derrick hand who’s a slave to these old rigs.”
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Growth in regular earnings - which excludes bonuses - picked up slightly, although this was driven by a rise in public sector wages.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Still, in a recent YouTube video, the woman, who goes by “Rabbit Habbit” online, lamented leaving what’s likely to be years of surefire six-figure bonuses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
In the past year, Thames Water boss Chris Weston saw his pay increase 14% to £1.63m while other directors received bonuses totalling £4.1m.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Year-end bonuses have jumped at banks, fueled by record earnings.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
Graham Salter said there’d be fat bonuses all around.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
