Synonyms of quid pro quo

quid pro quo

noun

ˌkwid-ˌprō-ˈkwō 

as in exchange

a giving or taking of one thing of value in return for another

in politics nobody does something for nothing: there's always a quid pro quo involved

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exchange
• truck
• swap
• trade
• barter
• dealing
• commutation
• back-and-forth
• deal
• substitution
• bargaining
• bargain
• trade-off
• replacement
• dicker
• transaction
• horse trade
• negotiation
• horse trading
• reciprocation
• recompense
• dickering
• haggling
• requital
• logrolling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of quid pro quo

The quid pro quo made total sense to me. — Kevin Brazil, Harpers Magazine, 9 June 2026

Calvin Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said in this case, the quid pro quo is likely broken as Griffith had no way of knowing whether the recipients of the pastries actually went out and voted. — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 May 2026

Our wealthy leaders are getting richer by demanding quid pro quo from companies like Paramount, Disney and Meta. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 May 2026

And the ultimate question the Supreme Court must answer is whether this practice of quid pro quo corruption is protected by the First Amendment. — Lawrence Lessig, Time, 30 Apr. 2026