reward

[ ri-wawrd ]

See synonyms for: reward rewarded rewarding rewards on Thesaurus.com

noun

a sum of money offered for the detection or capture of a criminal, the recovery of lost or stolen property, etc.
something given or received in return or recompense for service, merit, hardship, etc.

verb (used with object)

to recompense or requite (a person or animal) for service, merit, achievement, etc.
to make return for or requite (service, merit, etc.); recompense.

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; see origin at regard

synonym study For reward

2. 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 words for reward

2	desert, pay, remuneration; requital; bounty, premium, bonus
3	compensate, pay, remunerate

See synonyms for reward on Thesaurus.com

Other words from reward

re·ward·a·ble, adjective
re·ward·a·ble·ness, noun
re·ward·a·bly, adverb
re·ward·er, noun
re·ward·less, adjective
mis·re·ward, verb (used with object)
o·ver·re·ward, verb
su·per·re·ward, verb (used with object), noun
un·re·ward·a·ble, adjective
un·re·ward·ed, adjective
well-re·ward·ed, adjective

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

How to use reward in a sentence

Authorities are cracking down, including posting photos online of people who attended the protests and offering cash rewards for tips.
China’s insatiable appetite for control is forcing even its “model minority” to rebel | Isabella Steger | September 4, 2020 | Quartz
Thus some hackers may have obtained public information and tried to claim the rewards, they said.
FBI says hackers haven’t stolen any U.S. voter data this year | Aaron Pressman | September 1, 2020 | Fortune
They then used neurocomputational tools to model these brain activity data, and found a link between the brain’s reward circuit and social ones.
This Is How Your Brain Responds to Social Influence | Shelly Fan | August 25, 2020 | Singularity Hub
If they match up, the reward error is very low, meaning your brain says that you don’t need to adjust your behavior.
This Is How Your Brain Responds to Social Influence | Shelly Fan | August 25, 2020 | Singularity Hub
Our team believes these community benefits can be delivered by structuring a public-private partnership with the city that appropriately balances the costs and rewards of the project.
Public Benefits Define Midway Proposal | Frank Wolden, Aruna Doddapaneni and Colin Parent | July 21, 2020 | Voice of San Diego

Under Henry II, Marshal continued to ascend, as the king rewarded his service with land, a wife, and a title.
England’s Greatest Knight Puts ‘Game of Thrones’ to Shame | William O’Connor | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I was once rewarded for some help with a visit to it, and sat in the electric chair for a moment.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison | Daniel Genis | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Readers who can get past the odd structure will be richly rewarded.
The Best Fiction of 2014: Ford, Ferrante, Klay, and More | William O’Connor | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Bob Hope was the most beloved, honored, and richly rewarded comedian of all time.
When Your Comic Hero Is an Alleged Rapist | Doug McIntyre | November 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Spall was rewarded for his hard work with the best actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Mike Leigh Is the Master Filmmaker Who Hates Hollywood | Nico Hines | October 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
At the end of the campaign the Emperor justly rewarded his lieutenant by creating him Prince of Wagram.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Thomas Sprat, an English prelate and poet, died; he was distinguished as a writer, and rewarded with preferments.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
But its voice was soon stifled, and its children were rewarded for their abnegation by punishment, martyrdom and death.
The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
I was proud of my début as an arbitrator, especially as it was rewarded by, what seemed to me then, a very handsome fee.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
When I saved her from being crushed beneath the horse's feet, she rewarded me by calling me a miserable Yankee.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for reward

reward

/ (rɪˈwɔːd) /

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
something received in return for good or evil; deserts
psychol any pleasant event that follows a response and therefore increases the likelihood of the response recurring in the future

verb

(tr) to give (something) to (someone), esp in gratitude for a service rendered; recompense

Origin of reward

C14: from Old Norman French rewarder to regard, from re- + warder to care for, guard, of Germanic origin; see ward

Derived forms of reward

rewardable, adjective
rewarder, noun
rewardless, adjective

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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