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
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Recent Examples of quid pro quo
The quid pro quo of an end to Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for the easing of sanctions remained the endgame.
—
Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Mar. 2026
At the heart of the legal dispute is whether federal prosecutors must allege an explicit quid pro quo — a direct exchange of money for official action — to sustain the bribery charge.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Sometimes, Epstein’s quid pro quo was explicit In dozens of exchanges where power brokering like this played out, Epstein’s motivations occasionally showed through.
—Chris Quintana, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
In some instances, the interaction may have a veneer of consent, or of quid pro quo.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quid pro quo
Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Mar. 2026
At the heart of the legal dispute is whether federal prosecutors must allege an explicit quid pro quo — a direct exchange of money for official action — to sustain the bribery charge.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Sometimes, Epstein’s quid pro quo was explicit In dozens of exchanges where power brokering like this played out, Epstein’s motivations occasionally showed through.
—Chris Quintana, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
In some instances, the interaction may have a veneer of consent, or of quid pro quo.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quid pro quo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quid pro quo
exchange
Noun
-
The bedroom exchange never went through, but both Amy and Gretchen have honored our 1970 agreement.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Such clean behavior strongly points to an origin in isolated binary systems, where two stars are born together, evolve side by side, exchange mass, and eventually collapse into black holes that merge without interference from their surroundings.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quid pro quo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quid%20pro%20quo. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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