rewarded; rewarding; rewards
rewarder
noun
1
: something that is given in return for good or evil done or received or that is offered or given for some service or attainment
the police offered a reward for his capture
2
: a stimulus (such as food) that is administered to an organism and serves to reinforce a desired response
Examples of reward in a Sentence
Verb
She rewarded herself by buying a new pair of shoes.
the firefighters were rewarded by the city for their heroic actions
Noun
The contest offered a cash reward to the first person who could breed a blue rose.
Hard work brings its own rewards.
Members will receive a discount in reward for getting friends or family to join.
Recent Examples on the Web
Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2025
Saving more for retirement is a way to reward your future self, financial planners say.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
While starter credit cards still exist, beginner cards are becoming increasingly restrictive, and come with high trade-offs such as high interest rates and minimal rewards.
—Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reward
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Verb
American has fallen behind large rivals Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in the post-Covid luxury travel boom that has taken Seoul spa vacations and 40th birthday bashes abroad out of the chat and armed millions of consumers with high-end rewards credit cards.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2025
Saving more for retirement is a way to reward your future self, financial planners say.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
The Northwest Passage Act, which offered a reward to any Briton who could chart a shipping route through Arctic Canada to Asia, had been repealed in 1818.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
While starter credit cards still exist, beginner cards are becoming increasingly restrictive, and come with high trade-offs such as high interest rates and minimal rewards.
—Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for reward
Cite this Entry
“Reward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reward. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reward
2 of 2 noun1
: something (as money) given or offered in return for a service (as the return of something lost)
2
: a stimulus (as food) that is given to an organism after a correct or desired way of behaving and that makes the behavior more probable in the future
Medical Definition
reward
1 of 2 transitive verb
re·ward
ri-ˈwȯ(ə)rd 
: to give a reward to or for
reward
2 of 2 noun
: a stimulus (as food) that serves to reinforce a desired response
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