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 Second Circuit also rejected some of the other arguments made, such as the quid pro quo principle applies only in the exchange is for goods and services.
—
Timothy M. Todd, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Hong Kong — Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the US government 15% of their revenues from semiconductor sales to China in exchange for export licenses, an unprecedented quid pro quo arrangement aimed at solidifying America’s AI business dominance while maintaining trade ties with China.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025
The merger has since been approved, a move some critics characterized as a quid pro quo.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025
Various surgeons and pundits have publicly offered theories: that there’s a generational shift now that millennials and Gen Z have grown up in the era of Botox and fillers; that social media has pushed users toward confessional frankness; or that the publicity is quid pro quo.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quid pro quo
Timothy M. Todd, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Hong Kong — Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the US government 15% of their revenues from semiconductor sales to China in exchange for export licenses, an unprecedented quid pro quo arrangement aimed at solidifying America’s AI business dominance while maintaining trade ties with China.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025
The merger has since been approved, a move some critics characterized as a quid pro quo.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025
Various surgeons and pundits have publicly offered theories: that there’s a generational shift now that millennials and Gen Z have grown up in the era of Botox and fillers; that social media has pushed users toward confessional frankness; or that the publicity is quid pro quo.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quid pro quo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quid pro quo
exchange
Noun
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The Department of Justice has quietly walked back aggressive prosecutions, signalling that builders of non-custodial protocols aren’t the same as operators of centralized exchanges.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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During the trial, after Cardi took the stand to deliver her testimony, several of her impassioned exchanges with the plaintiff's lawyer, Ron Rosen Janfaza, went viral due to her unfiltered, expletive-laced responses and animated expressions, including eye rolls and shrugs.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quid pro quo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quid%20pro%20quo. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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