quid pro quo

noun

ˌkwid-ˌprō-ˈkwō 

: something given or received for something else

also : a deal arranging a quid pro quo

Frequently Asked Questions

Is quid pro quo legal?

Quid pro quo means "something given or received for something else." There is nothing inherently illegal in giving or receiving something in exchange for something else, but in legal contexts quid pro quo often refers to something that is in fact illegal, such as if a company gives a government official money in exchange for receiving a contract that rightly should be given to whatever company is best able to meet the requirements for the contract.

Is quid pro quo bribery?

One might say that every bribe is a case of quid pro quo, but not every quid pro quo is a case of bribery. A bribe is something (such as money or a favor) given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of someone, and while quid pro quo may to be used to describe this, it may also refer to something merely traded for something else.

What does quid pro quo have to do with medicine?

In current use, quid pro quo has little to do with medicine, but the Latin phrase it came from (which may be translated as "something for something") originated with apothecaries (people who prepare and sell drugs or compounds for medicinal purposes). In the 16th through the 18th centuries a quid pro quo often referred to the substitution of one medicine for another.

Synonyms

• exchange

Examples of quid pro quo in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The senators said such a settlement could be viewed as a quid pro quo arrangement to influence the president to approve the Skydance merger. —Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

That directive, amid accusations of a quid pro quo between the Trump administration and Adams to assist with federal immigration enforcement, is one shake-up among others within the Justice Department under its new leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi. —Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

Curtis Hill, one of the prosecutors who later was elected as Indiana's attorney general, told jurors there was no evidence of a quid pro quo. —Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

The vote, split along ideological lines, follows over a year of proposals, community roundtables and allegations of quid pro quo between the progressive majority and Mayor Lisa Brown. —Tim Clouser, The Washington Examiner, 1 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, something for something

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quid pro quo

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

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Legal Definition

quid pro quo

noun

ˌkwid-ˌprō-ˈkwō 

: something (as consideration) given or received for something else

Etymology

New Latin, something for something