bonus

noun

bo·​nus ˈbō-nəs 

: something in addition to what is expected or strictly due: such as

a

: money or an equivalent given in addition to an employee's usual compensation

b

: a premium (as of stock) given by a corporation to a purchaser of its securities, to a promoter, or to an employee

c

: a government payment to war veterans

d

: a sum in excess of salary given to an athlete for signing with a team

Synonyms of bonus

• dividend
• gift
• extra
• contribution
• tip
• perk
• donation
• pension

Examples of bonus in a Sentence

As a bonus for good behavior you can stay up late.

The product has the added bonus of providing extra vitamins.

Staff members were given a bonus for finishing the project on schedule.

The company offered bonuses to entice new workers.

We receive annual bonuses at the end of the year.

Recent Examples on the Web

Flora’s signing bonus was nearly a million less than the slot value of $8,988,400, meaning that San Francisco will have more money to use to sign other players in this year’s draft class. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 19 July 2026

The roomy fit is also a welcome bonus if your feet tend to swell after hours of sightseeing. — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2026

The gosiwon residents were delighted to supplement their rations with Bo’s regular food bonuses. — Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026

Yoshikawa explained that the Torifune flyby was more than just a bonus milestone and photo and science op. — Andrew Jones, Space.com, 19 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, literally, good — more at bounty

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bonus

• bonis
• clonus
• conus
• cronus
• jonas
• lowness
• onus
• slowness
• tonus
• colonus
• coregonus
• dendroctonus

Kids Definition

bonus

noun

bo·​nus ˈbō-nəs 

: something given to somebody (as a worker) in addition to what is usual or owed

Etymology

from Latin bonus "good" — related to bona fide, bonbon, boon entry 2, bounty