bonus
/ˈbəʊnəs
/noun
1A sum of money added to a person’s wages as a reward for good performance: big Christmas bonuses...
- The federal government would also reward states with performance bonuses based in part on lower poverty rates.
- Workers were paid a form of piece rate, which was a minimum wage plus a bonus for output over a certain level.
- My weekly wage was about £150 and there were performance bonuses.
Synonyms
extra payment, gratuity, tip, handout, gift, present, honorarium, reward, prize, commission, dividend, premium, percentage;
incentive, inducement
informal perk, sweetener, cut
formal perquisite
historical bounty
rare lagniappe
1.1British An extra dividend or issue paid to the shareholders of a company.After year 13, reinvested dividends and bonuses would pay for future premium....
- What the Trustee is after is the shareholder's dividends, bonuses, other payments that result, as a result that come from the share ownership.
- I believe perks can be a wonderful bonus for shareholders.
1.2British A distribution of profits to holders of an insurance policy.To get round the problem, they will probably pay the vast majority of with-profits policy holders their compensation through bonuses to their policies....
- However, as these are with-profits policies, bonuses accrued to date will be small.
- But the company says a standard policy holder with a full bonus making a claim will effectively pay out more than three times their annual premium.
1.3An extra and unexpected advantage: good weather is an added bonus but the real appeal is the landscape...
- Geraldine, who organised the logistics of the trip, said it was what she expected, but the unexpected generosity of people along the way was an added bonus.
- As an added bonus the DVD actually has enough extra content that it can be considered a special edition.
- As an added bonus, the southern hemisphere is midway into its summer season, offering warm, comfortable temperatures for vacations this time of year.
Synonyms
benefit, advantage, boon, blessing, godsend, stroke of luck, asset, attraction, added attraction, fringe benefit, additional benefit, extra, added extra;
beauty
informal plus, pro, perk
formal perquisite
Origin
Late 18th century (probably originally Stock Exchange slang): from Latin bonus (masculine) 'good', used in place of bonum (neuter) 'good, good thing'.
This was probably originally Stock Exchange slang, coming from Latin bonus ‘good’. Very recently—too recently to get into most dictionaries—the word malus has been recorded for a fine or penalty, based on Latin malus ‘bad’ on the pattern of bonus. The French form of bonus, bon may lie behind the mainly Scottish bonny ‘good, fair’. Bounty (Middle English) goes back to the same source. See also bonanza