bonus

bonus — noun

1. money paid in addition to your usual wages, fee, or prize, usually because your

1.nounB2
Definition

money paid in addition to your usual wages, fee, or prize, usually because your work was good or results were strong

Example

The hotel gave Priya a winter bonus after the busy holiday season.

collocation: winter bonus

Workers at the factory will get a bonus if sales stay high.

get a bonus if results are good

Common collocations
  • annual bonus
  • cash bonus
  • performance bonus
  • receive a bonus
  • pay a bonus
Synonyms
  • reward

    broader word; a reward may be money, praise, or another kind of prize

  • incentive

    often aims to encourage future effort, not simply thank someone afterward

  • commission

    usually a regular sales-based payment, not a one-off extra amount

Antonyms
  • pay cut

    a reduction in the money you normally receive

  • penalty

    money taken away or charged because of a mistake or rule break

Grammar Patterns

bonus for something

get / receive / pay a bonus

Usage Note

Common with verbs such as 'get', 'receive', 'earn', and 'pay'. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense always refers to money, not to any kind of extra advantage.

Common Mistakes

The company gave us a bonus salary in December.
The company gave us a bonus in December.
say 'bonus', not 'bonus salary', for extra reward money.

2. an extra good thing that comes with something else and makes it better than you

2.nounB2
Definition

an extra good thing that comes with something else and makes it better than you first expected

Example

A free map was an added bonus on the long train trip.

pattern: an added bonus

As a bonus, guests could borrow bikes from the beach hotel.

pattern: As a bonus, ...

Common collocations
  • added bonus
  • real bonus
  • unexpected bonus
  • bonus for guests
  • come as a bonus
Synonyms
  • extra

    the most general everyday choice; it can be good, neutral, or unwanted

  • perk

    informal; often used for a small pleasant advantage

  • plus

    informal; often used when listing another good point

Antonyms
  • drawback

    a feature that makes something less attractive

  • downside

    informal word for the negative side of a situation

Grammar Patterns

an added bonus

as a bonus

Usage Note

Common in the fixed patterns 'an added bonus' and 'as a bonus'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense can describe any pleasant extra, not only money.

Common Mistakes

The sea view was a bonus money for us.
The sea view was a bonus for us.
this sense means an extra advantage, not cash.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, a bonus is extra money added to what someone normally gets. A reward is wider: it can be money, but it can also be praise, a gift, or a prize. An incentive usually looks forward, because it is meant to push people to work harder or sell more. Commission is a regular payment based on sales, often a fixed percentage, so it feels more built into the job than a bonus. Perk is different again: it usually means a pleasant extra benefit, such as free meals, rather than direct cash. You might say, 'The staff received a year-end bonus,' but 'Sales staff earn commission on each car,' and 'Free gym access is a perk.'

reward ↗incentive ↗commission ↗perk

Etymology

LatinEnglish

English borrowed bonus from Latin, where bonus meant 'good'. The noun developed the idea of something extra added because it is favorable or welcome, and it later became especially common for extra payment in work and business.