reward

American  

[ri-wawrd] / rɪˈwɔrd /

noun

1. a sum of money offered for the detection or capture of a criminal, the recovery of lost or stolen property, etc.

2. something given or received in return or recompense for service, merit, hardship, etc.

   Synonyms:

   bonus , premium , bounty , requital , remuneration , pay , desert

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verb (used with object)

1. to recompense or requite (a person or animal) for service, merit, achievement, etc.

   Synonyms:

   remunerate , pay , compensate

2. to make return for or requite (service, merit, etc.); recompense.

reward British  

/ rɪˈwɔːd /

noun

1. something given or received in return for a deed or service rendered

2. a sum of money offered, esp for help in finding a criminal or for the return of lost or stolen property

3. profit or return

4. something received in return for good or evil; deserts

5. psychol any pleasant event that follows a response and therefore increases the likelihood of the response recurring in the future

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verb

1. (tr) to give (something) to (someone), esp in gratitude for a service rendered; recompense

Related Words

Reward, prize, recompense imply something given in return for good. A reward is something given or done in return for good (or, more rarely, evil) received; it may refer to something abstract or concrete: a $50 reward; Virtue is its own reward. Prize refers to something concrete offered as a reward of merit, or to be contested for and given to the winner: to win a prize for an essay. A recompense is something given or done, whether as reward or punishment, for acts performed, services rendered, etc.; or it may be something given in compensation for loss or injury suffered, etc.: Renown was his principal recompense for years of hard work.

Other Word Forms

• misreward verb (used with object)
• overreward verb
• rewardable adjective
• rewardableness noun
• rewardably adverb
• rewarder noun
• rewardless adjective
• superreward verb (used with object)
• unrewardable adjective
• unrewarded adjective
• well-rewarded adjective

Etymology

Origin of reward

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English (verb) rewarden originally, “to regard,” from Old North French rewarder “to look at,” variant of Old French reguarder; regard

Example Sentences

Companies with a clear line of sight on AI profits are being rewarded, while those with weaker balance sheets and debt-paced business models are losing ground.

From Barron's

Spencer did not collect the wickets, the international caps or the rewards he might have, but he experienced what most can only dream of.

From BBC

The FBI recently raised the reward for turning in Wedding to $15 million.

From Los Angeles Times

However, Farke, who has been criticised for a lack of adventure particularly around substitutions, was almost rewarded for a bold decision at the interval that almost reversed their fortunes.

From BBC

He reaped great commercial rewards with cutting-edge highbrow material—yet sometimes felt his audience couldn’t keep up.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• award
• benefit
• bonus
• bounty
• compensation
• dividend
• honorarium
• premium
• profit
• remuneration